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Post by fingerpickinblue on Apr 22, 2015 22:22:24 GMT
OK, I'll bite. I made this drink up a couple years back to enter in the local USBG chapter annual Campari Aperitivo Drink Competition. At the time, I wouldn't say I was following any specific build types, and this was probably an outgrowth of my personal fondness for the Chrysanthemum (hence, the homage paid by naming it after a flower). I would be curious to know how you would categorize it within the genres of Elemental Mixology. I am just now beginning to examine your system more thoroughly, although I have been reading your blog for a couple of years. In fact I just received my copy of your 2015 edition of your book and I'm beginning to plow my way through it. So... the drink: Anthurium 1.5 oz dry vermouth 1.25 oz Campari .25 oz Yellow Chartreuse 1 barspoon (teaspoon) Solerno (can sub Cointreau or other triple sec) Stir and strain up, garnish with lemon twist. Also, I see the Chrysanthemum is included in your book on page 201 of the edition I have. I am curious why the omission of the absinthe, since to my understanding it was included by both Ensslin and Craddock in their recipes. Is this just an oversight or is there some reason? Anyway, thanx in advance for your response, and keep on fighting the good fight. I look forward to learning what I can from your book, blog, and these forums.
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Post by Andrew on Apr 23, 2015 7:58:20 GMT
Hello! Thank you for posting! Also, thank you for pointing out the error in the book. Of course the Chrysanthemum [Toddy] is supposed to have the absinthe accent and I was not aware that it wasn't there in my book. Sometimes I wake at night wondering how many cut-and-paste errors there are in that damned book of mine. Thank you for helping me reduce that number! Your Anthurium is a true cocktail by traditional standards. Campari is a cinchona grand bitters and the Chartreuse liqueur and the Solerno are working in both the strong and sweet element. You have dry vermouth wine as the base, like in the Chrysanthemum [Toddy]. I would probably jigger the drink making the total of the alcoholic ingredients come to a jigger (2 fl-oz.), allowing it to fit the cocktail goblet after stirring -- as was pre-prohibition practice. Ensslin made his Chrysanthemum with 1/2 the jigger (1 fl-oz.) each dry vermouth wine and Benedictine liqueur. Craddock made his with 2/3 the jigger (1-1/3 fl-oz.) of the vermouth wine and 1/3 the jigger (2/3 fl-oz.) of the liqueur. Retro-fitting your cocktail to pre-prohibition standards would make it a cocktail with grand bitters inside the 2 fl-oz. of the jigger. Because I mostly cleave to pre-1920 standards, I think that I would make your drink with 1 fl-oz. of the dry vemrouth wine (Dolin or better, since it is the base), a teaspoon (5 ml.) of yellow Chartreuse liqueur, a barspoon (2.5 ml.) of the orange liqueur, and 3/4 fl-oz. (22.5 ml.) of the Campari bitters. That comes to 2 fl-oz., or 60 ml. I would stir it and strain it into the standard 4-1/2 fl-oz. cocktail goblet and garnish with the same lemon zest that you do. In fact, I will definitely try this drink in about a month. I will get back to you and let you know how it was recieved. Perhaps someone else on the forum will try it and give some feedback. On 'paper' it certainly does look promising! Thanks!
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Post by fingerpickinblue on Apr 23, 2015 16:43:18 GMT
I agree with you regarding the proportions, especially considering this is an aperitif drink. There's always those pesky considerations of expected modern (and commercial) drink volumes at play. And part of the contest rules was the the drink had to contain at least one ounce of Campari. And if I do say so myself, the thing is just so damned yummy I save myself from making two!
Vermouth is a little tricky with this one. Any of them will work, but the character of the vermouth affects the outcome since it is the highest volume component. I really liked Noilly Prat Original Dry in this, however I think they have ditched it in the US market in favor of their Extra Dry. I'll have to do some checking. I thought Boissiere worked well, with the soft floral notes it gives from the elderflower, and the slightly higher alcohol helps in a drink like this. Dolin, one of my personal favorites, is not one of my favorites in this... just a little austere. Some day when I open the bottle of Vya I have lying around, I want to give that a spin, however I suspect it will likely take over the drink. It's just such an assertive profile, I've always thought it is best on its own as an aperitif, as intended. But just maybe the Campari can stand up to it. Still, the Chartreuse and Solerno are likely to get lost. We'll see.
Thanx for your response and glad I could help with the book. Note to self... add Proofreader and Editor to resume.
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