A few weeks ago, I was on the prowl for drinks that used lime. I juiced a few too many for the meal I was making and thought, “No way can I let good citrus go to waste!” My aim was to find a libation suitable to sip with the layered flavors of Tom Yam Gai, the chicken version of a spicy soup from Southeast Asia. The one I chose has a name that might offend some.
Classic ingredients for the Oriental Cocktail
Photo courtesy of Mike Russell. All rights reserved.
Already, dear readers, you know I have a fondness for putting bubbles and bitters together. Sometimes, the occasion calls for something a bit stronger and more nuanced. This week, I’m drinking another favorite cocktail that combines bubbly with bitters. This one features Kentucky whiskey and is sweetened by an orange-flavored liqueur. Top that all off with a healthy pour of champagne and garnish it with a twist of lemon to complete this pre-prohibition classic.
Photo courtesy of Brian Hoffsis.
I am a sommelier. Not only am I a sommelier, I am among those restaurant wine-slingers who consider themselves “acid hounds.” Alcohol, tannins, and viscosity in a wine of high intensity flavors is often not enough to be able to pair it with food. Such wines can be great fun to sip on by themselves. But to go with many sauced, rich, or spicy dishes, a wine needs acidity to give it a little lift. Liking that brightness is why I also like sour drinks. And why the Sidecar is in the top five for cocktails I make at home.
Photo courtesy of Mike Russell. All rights reserved.
I was a teetotaler for all of my 20s, typically a formative period for those who like to imbibe a little alcohol now and then. That didn’t stop me from learning the tradition of drinking an aperitivo during a series of trips I took to Italy. An Italian friend introduced me to Sanbittér so I could participate in the tradition of “opening” one’s appetite before dinner. (Aperitivo is derived from the Latin form of “to open,” aperire.)
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