As the late, great lead singer of Motorhead, Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister proclaimed before every concert, “We are Motorhead, and we play rock n’ roll!” I am Jim Zadrozny and I love whiskey! Perhaps not as much as Lemmy did, but close enough that we would be cousins from another mother. Now, I’m not sure what Lemmy would think of me writing articles on cocktails and music, but I’m sure he would be staring down from the ethereal plain of the next life chugging some Old No. 7 and shaking his head.
Nevertheless, at the risk of losing my self-issued Rock God card, I do love cocktails, music, and most importantly, combining the two into a wonderful evening of controlled debauchery; at least as much as my middle aged body will allow.
Nothing really is new in this world of ours. We simply put our own spin on things.
For my first libation I am choosing one of my own creations. In my opinion, nothing really is new in this world of ours. We simply put our own spin on things. My intention with this series of articles is to present what can be done at home with very little skill and throw some great tunes into the mix which I think would pair perfectly with the given drink.
End of introduction; let’s make a drink and listen to some tunes!
Flavor Profile: silky smooth with a bit of zing
Ingredients:
- 1.5 oz Noah’s Mill/Rowan’s Creek Bourbon
- 1 oz Yellow Chartreuse
- 1 oz Domaine de Canton Ginger Liquer
- 1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
Preparation: Combine all ingredients into a Boston shaker with ice. Shake vigorously for 10-20 seconds. Double strain into a coupe glass and top with egg white foam.
Garnish: Float a fresh mint leaf on top (optional, but adds even more complexity)
My Take:
I came up with this concoction one night when I was staring at my mixers. I couldn’t remember the last time I used the Domaine de Canton which I bought as an attempt to make some use out of Buffalo Trace White Dog; a complete and utter failure.
Fortunately, Yellow Chartreuse sang in perfect harmony with the ginger of the Canton so all I had to do was find a base whiskey to make it all sing. I tried Buffalo Trace’s Col. EH Taylor Small Batch, but the result was too sweet, and the mixers overwhelmed the spirit. Whatever one can say about Noah’s Mill it is anything but subtle. The higher proof and complexity of the Willett product sang a beautiful harmony with the mixers.
Finally, I simply added fresh lemon juice to taste which for me is always less than more. I find that too much lemon juice makes the cocktail unbalanced and sour. If Noah’s Mill is not available in your area Rowan’s Creek is a cheaper alternative from the same distiller, and should work fine. The end result is an herbal bomb of subtle intensity and complexity that I could drink all night.
