Tiki Central / Tiki Drinks and Food / A Spiritous Journey through Remixed - From the Astro Aku Aku to the Zadaran Storm
Post #728874 by Destro100 on Thu, Oct 2, 2014 8:23 AM
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Destro100
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Thu, Oct 2, 2014 8:23 AM
Drink 71: Singapore Sling (1930s -) Ingredients I used: Fresh lemon Juice This drink was a marked improvement over the identically named concoction that I previously reviewed. That drink was interesting, but at the same time, it reminded me of a “Long Island Iced Tea” without the sweetness. There are very few instances where two different base spirits (gin and brandy) and 2 very different enhancers (Benedictine and Cherry liqueur) should be brought together. Simply stated - it wasnt terrible, nor did it work for me; this version was better. It is better in it its simplicity. It follows a very safe and proven cocktail template of strong, sweet, bitter/sour, and weak (water). That is why it works. The ingredients manage to individually shine without constantly battling each other. Additionally, the cherry is not lost but rather, easily identifiable; as it should be. The proportions seemed to be balanced fairly well. This is one of those drinks where a careful selection of ingredients is nearly essential. I went with Barr Hill Gin for its unique inclusion of honey. It has a subtle floral sweetness but never veers too far from its juniper roots. It’s a great product that is usually slightly above my budget for a gin, but I couldn’t resist picking up the 375 ml. during my last visit to Vermont. The gin and cherry battle and meet in the middle - there is a nice tart sweetness that begins the taste and a woodsy herbaceous-ness to finish. I recently ran out of Cheery Herring, and I’m not sure when I’ll have the inclination to replace it. In the meantime, I do love the Luxardo Sangue Morlacco liqueur. It has a deep cherry flavor without being overly sweet. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a liqueur, so it is sweet, but not compared to one of the cheaper brands: Dekyuper, Lloyds, etc. Overall, this drink is refreshing without being overly interesting. The ingredients could be doubled (or increased by 50%) as I found that there wasn’t enough liquid to make this a true tall-drink. I needed more. That’s a good thing! Side note - Goes nicely with mixed nuts (I had some cashews and pistachios) My personal rating: ***1/2 (3.5) out of ***** (5) SCORECARD: 4.5 ALMOST PERFECT - 3 drinks so far 4 - EXCELLENT - 12 drinks and counting 3.5 - VERY GOOD - 22 drinks and counting 3 - GOOD - 20 drinks and counting 2.5 - ABOVE AVERAGE - 4 drinks and counting 2 - AVERAGE - 8 drinks and counting 1.5 - BELOW AVERAGE - 2 drinks and hopefully not too many more |
