Tiki Central / Tiki Drinks and Food / A Spiritous Journey through Remixed - From the Astro Aku Aku to the Zadaran Storm
Post #765927 by Destro100 on Thu, Jul 7, 2016 4:42 PM
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Destro100
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Thu, Jul 7, 2016 4:42 PM
Where were we? Drink 72: Singapore Sling (1970s -)
Ingredients I used: Fresh lemon Juice I have a bit of a conundrum. I definitely enjoyed this drink more than the 1930s version but alas, I don’t think it merits more than 3 1/2 stars. It’s a very good drink but not an “excellent” one. On the Grogalizer it sits at a 7.9 which seems slightly high in my opinion. This drink is a tale of two tastes. At first I was hit with a flavorfully sweet cherry taste coming from the Morlacco and grenadine, yet almost immediately the forthrightness of the gin, the sourness of the lemons, the bitterness of the Angostura and the savoriness of the Benedictine all combine to have a stronger impact that lingers longer than the initial sweetness. As a matter of fact, the soda water helps lengthen and develop the tart and bitter sensation long after the initial swallow. I even detected a hint of heat from the combination of ingredients, reminiscent of the spiciness of ginger. It can be safely said that this is a gin drink and the gin stands up to the other ingredients quite well. It also helps to use a distinctive gin; hence, the Plymouth gin. Plymouth is one of those rare gins that is both smooth and strong. It works wonders in cocktails (especially Martinis) yet doesn’t veer too far away from a traditional Juniper-based classic. At the same time, the drink is complex enough that it may not scare away those poor unfortunate gin-haters. Someone else can let me know how that works out. While I like the delicate balance achieved here, I also don’t see anything wrong with kicking up the cherry or grenadine a notch to help brighten the deep fruit flavors of the drink. I still haven’t picked up a new bottle of Cherry Herring, but I don’t think I will for a while. The Luxardo Sangue Morlacco serves as a suitable replacement. It seems to have a bit more cherry flavor and a touch less sweetness. Measuring out the correct amount of ice to bring the drink to the top of a tall glass is important. It makes a difference because as the drink sits, the melting ice helps tease out a bit more sweetness while still maintaining the drink's gin-bite throughout the duration. The pineapple seems a bit lost and the Cointreau only adds sweetness with the slightest hint of orange. I’m sure they’re essential to the drink, but they are not easily picked out of a line-up. Side note - I added some fresh berries as a garnish and was pleasantly surprised to find that the aroma contributed a delightful extra dimension to the drink. Worth a try. 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 - 23 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 |
