Jordan's theme for this month is fortified wines. Why does he seem to exclude vermouth from this theme? Probably because vermouth would be too easy. Either way, I'm up for the challenge.
This is a drink that I created years ago and return to often. It began, as things do, when I was trying to drain some almost-dead bottles in my playroom.
In creating the drink, I realized that brandy and Madeira go very well together but that it was missing something. As with many cocktails, it was bitters that it needed to tie the other ingredients together. Let that be a lesson, if you've not already learned it.
Original Remix
Later That Day
1.5 oz Cognac (or brandy)
1 oz Madeira (substitute Amontillado sherry if you must)
1 dash orange bitters
1 dash simple syrup
Build over ice in an Old Fashioned glass. No garnish.
Posts
That looks lovely! The softer Rainwater Madeira pictured must play really nice with the cognac.
ReplyDeleteLooks great! I like the idea of Madeira in cocktails. Did you use a drier or sweeter Madeira? I do not want to overwhelm the sweetness by using a sweeter Madeira and then adding simple syrup.
ReplyDeleteI use whatever Madeira I can get my hands on... quality be damned. While I'm not sure how sweet the variety is that I'm using at any given point, I have occasionally left out the sugar syrup, and I find that it always needs.
DeleteHowever, with your tastes in mind, I would suggest making the drink without the syrup, and then stirring it in later if you feel it needs it.
http://www.portaldj.org/
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