Tiki Central / Tiki Drinks and Food / A Spiritous Journey through Remixed - From the Astro Aku Aku to the Zadaran Storm
Post #717822 by Destro100 on Thu, May 22, 2014 5:46 AM
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Destro100
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Thu, May 22, 2014 5:46 AM
Drink 59: Strip and go Naked Ingredients I used: Fresh lime juice I was initially skeptical of this drink. It is the first drink in Remixed to include beer as an ingredient. While it may seem simplistic, I get the feeling that this drink went through a few iterations before arriving at the final recipe. The lime and beer combination is reminiscent of a few traditional regional combinations. It reminds me of a Corona with lime. It also reminds me of a traditional Shandy (beer and lemonade or carbonated lemon-flavored beverage). It is even reminiscent of a good wheat beer (thinking Franceskaner ) with a lemon slice (sacrilege in some places - but not in my home). The combination provides a unique bitterness as well as a refreshing embrace to the drinker. I went with the Trader Joe's Vienna Lager because it is a solid crisp-tasting lager. It won't blow anyone away, but it serves its purpose adequately. The orange juice and grenadine help elevate the drink into tiki territory by providing a subtle and tart tropical-fruit flavor to the drink. I appreciate that the drink is not overly sweet. Interestingly, this is one of the few drinks in Remixed that doesn't include rum. Instead, the combination of gin and vodka strengthen the drink. This is a very strange combination. In essence, gin is flavored vodka. I realize that the statement may be a gross generalization, but for the sake of most cocktails, it's true. Gin is a grain-based spirit distilled as vodka would be, and the only difference would come from the choice of botanicals (usually juniper, lemon peel, coriander, cardamom, etc.) added to the distillation process. Since the two spirits (gin and vodka) can be quite similar, I think both were used, so that neither flavor would dominate the drink. If 2 ounces of gin were used, the drink would have a strong juniper flavor that could muddle the subtle orange-grenadine sweetness. If two ounces of vodka were used, the drink might really bite you and dominate the swallow. As it is, the combination, only makes itself felt and tasted at the end of the sip and helps booster the drink's strength. I like the fact that the flavor of the spirits is not up-front. I went with Brokers as it is my go-to London Dry Gin for most cocktails. It is very affordable and works well in most drinks. I chose Svedka as my vodka, as I find it to be a great choice for smoothness at a fair price point. Svedka is also the vodka I tend to use for most of my infusions. The Strip and Go Naked is a solid drink for a hot day and due to the large amount of liquid, it seems to last a long time. It is also a good choice for those that aren't particularly keen on cocktails and prefer beer. I enjoyed the drink, but not enough to keep it in my rotating repertoire. Fantastic name though. My personal rating: *** (3) out of ***** (5) SCORECARD: 4.5 ALMOST PERFECT - 3 drinks so far 4 - EXCELLENT - 11 drinks and counting 3.5 - VERY GOOD - 17 drinks and counting 3 - GOOD - 15 drinks and counting 2.5 - ABOVE AVERAGE - 4 drinks and counting 2 - AVERAGE - 7 drinks and counting 1.5 - BELOW AVERAGE - 2 drinks and hopefully not too many more |
