This episode’s featured drink is The Rose Cocktail. To make it, you’ll need:
2 ounces French vermouth (like Dolin)
1 ounce Kirschwasser (which is a cherry eau de vie)
1 teaspoon raspberry syrup (most popular as the key ingredient in the Clover Club)
And, if you’re a fan of our Embitterment Bitters, a dash or two of orange or lavender would be pretty nice in this drink.
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, stir for about 20 seconds until everything is well chilled and diluted, then strain into a stemmed cocktail glass and enjoy. There’s no traditional garnish stipulated here, so we’d recommend following the lead of whichever vermouth you’ve chosen to use and selecting a garnish accordingly.
It’s interesting that the only descriptor of the vermouth we could find for this drink is “French.” Now, that does tell us something – namely, that it’s a bit less sweet and often more floral than Italian vermouths. But it doesn’t tell us whether we should dope a sweet vermouth or a dry vermouth (or perhaps something like a white vermouth) into this recipe.
When we come up against situations like this in the cocktail world, we usually advise you to follow your heart. Which bottle do YOU think would pair best with Kirschwasser and raspberry syrup. In most cases, we think this is going to be a dry (or occasionally a white) vermouth, so if you’re on the fence, opt for one of those.
The Rose Cocktail is one member of Jake’s “Impregnable Quadrilateral of Low Alcohol Stirred Drinks,” so if that doozy of a title intrigues you, be sure to join us for the lightning round to find out what the other three members might be!
Show Notes
We’ve really been hoping to talk to someone in the distribution and importation industry for a while now because we think it really is one of the missing links in most people’s understanding of the spirits industry. It’s easy to think about a bottle being created by a distillery, but how it gets to be on the shelves at your liquor store or behind your favorite bar is a detail that sort of intentionally gets swept under the rug in many cases. In this chat, Jake takes us through the journey that a bottle undertakes in transit from Europe to the United States, and also what kind of value craft importers and distributors play in spirits supply chain.
What We Tasted
Pasubio Vino Amaro
This bottle is absolutely gorgeous and is a really compelling offering from Antica Erboristeria Cappelletti (best known for Aperitivo Cappelletti). Some of the botanicals and ingredients include a base of Marsala wine, alpine blueberries, smokey rhubarb root, and spices. The bright acidity from the blueberries and the marsala wine really helps this bottle to punch above its weight either in straight food pairings, or as a cocktail modifier. Coming in at just 17% ABV, it has the enviable position of working as a bitter fortified wine or as the cornerstone of a complex stirred cocktail. If none of that sounds appealing (first, we disagree), just make yourself a Pasubio and sparkling lemonade!
