Mix & Match

A brief review of a few drinks I'm mixed the last few days. I'm still avoiding the creme de menthe one from my calendar, and I haven't found tangerines anywhere for the one with tangerine juice.

A few days ago I had a recipe for a sloe gin cocktail, by some other silly name, but the classic sloe gin and sweet vermouth. I wasn't keen on it; I liked Campari and sweet vermouth better. The sweet vermouth takes over from the sloe gin.

While I had the sloe gin out, I mixed a sloe gin fizz (not in my calendar): sloe gin, gin (I used Tanqueray with lime), lemon juice, club soda - the usual stuff. It wasn't bad, a good summer drink, but a bit tart for me. A little simple syrup or sugar or even Rose's would make it better. I made a 3rd sloe gin drink (a boozy night), but I don't even remember the details now. As I said about boozy...

Last night I mixed up a cocktail from my calendar with mezcal, simple syrup, lime juice, on ice topped with ginger ale (I used the spikey, all-natural stuff). The more I drink mezcal, the more I like it, and I really dig it with the ginger ale. I hadn't eaten much yesterday, and this packs a punch.

Not to be put off by a Mexican jumping bean with a punch, I tried it again, but this time with a little Absolut Vanilla. I thought the vanilla might go well with the smokeyness of the mezcal. Wrong. It overpowered it. I didn't drink more than a few sips. Don't try this at home. I wonder about Absolut Pear though.

This afternoon, another recipe from my calendar, this weekend in honor of the Belmont. Bourbon, Benedictine, bitters, a lemon twist (I used a teaspoon of juice), shaken, poured over ice, topped with the rest of the ginger ale from last night. My local so-called drugstore had Jim Beam Black on sale (and I had a $4 off coupon) that I'd bought a couple days ago. I cracked it open today.

I'm a Bourbon fan, and a Benedictine fan, and a ginger ale fan (esp. with chips and dip). This is good. I can't judge the Jim Black from this drink, but I'm ready to use it again.