Thursday, September 13, 2012

MxMo LXV: Equal Parts


Thank god that Frederic of Cocktail Virgin Slut has taken the baton for running Mixology Monday, the biggest online cocktail party there's ever been.  It was getting stagnant there for a while, simply because Paul Clarke is a busy man, no offense to Fred.

The theme for this MxMo is Equal Parts: any cocktail whose ingredients are called for with equal parts, not including garnish, and maybe a dash of bitters, if you're being liberal.  I'm going to be extra liberal and call for 2 dashes of bitters and yet still qualify for the theme.

My entry is as simple as it is sacrilegious: the Saratoga cocktail.  What's the sacriledge?  That this Manhattan variation is better than the Manhattan.  That's it.

I was turned on to the Saratoga originally by an interview with Camper English conducted by the 12 Bottle Bar. (Question # 6)

The Saratoga is simply a rye Manhattan, half of whose spirit is replaced with brandy.  It is my opinion that this combination elevates the Saratoga into a realm of interest and complexity which surpasses both rye and bourbon Manhattans.

As per my suggestion, Rowen of the Fogged In Lounge mixed up a Saratoga to stack up with the slew of other Manhattans that he was comparing recently, and he half agrees with me, at the very least.

Though recipes vary little, my Saratoga recipe comes from 12 Bottle Bar, which comes from David Wondrich.  You owe it to yourself to make this drink, if you haven't, simply so you can strike down my preposterous claim above.




Saratoga

.75 oz rye whiskey
.75 oz brandy
.75 oz sweet vermouth
2 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with half a lemon wheel.


6 comments:

  1. I just got home from work and saw your post, and I decided it was just what I needed to unwind after a long day at the office. The lemon and brandy worked really well together.

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  2. Lovely! BTW, I'm a big fan of your blog. Keep up the good work.

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    1. I've seent his before, but haven't tried it.

      I'm really looking forward to it now as I've hada few experience of rye with brandy lately and think it's a good mix.

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    2. I tried one last night. It would have probably better if I wasn't thinking of a manhattan because the similarity, while on the one hand was the bezt thing about it was also its greatest weakness. it wasn't quite a Manhattan

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  3. The Saratoga is great! Cool idea for an equal parts theme.

    http://www.thespeakista.com/2011/06/manhattan%E2%80%99s-in-may-%E2%80%A6-three-days-left/

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