So I was riding a nice every two weeks pace and…then I got COVID. Turns out I didn’t really want to drink much while that was happening lol. Thankfully it was not a bad case, and while I had a lot of time to sit here and ponder things, I felt more inclined to dust off Chrono Cross (what a weird and occasionally frustrating but still hella fun game) than have a few drinks. However, fully out of quarantine and over it and back to my normal ways here, which includes…well, not making many drinks at home these days.
It’s a strange time we are moving through but I still want to support the great bars and industry folks out there, so I’ve been dropping into Wildhawk and supporting venerable dives like Tempest with the coins in my pocket and not making nearly as much use of the fresh fruit I have at home as I should. However, now it’s almost like this serves a different purpose. If, before, for quite a long time I could not go anywhere and had to exercise creativity, now it’s a reminder to occasionally come home and exercise some creativity on my own. Because while I love the work of the many fine industry people I know out there…I don’t make a half bad drink myself if I may brag a little. And it’s not like any of this liquor is going anywhere.
Or is it? Some of it should, after all, it’s not like vermouth and other wine-based spirits last forever, even in the fridge. So lately I’ve been making some of that stuff a bit more of a focus to try and make good use of the sherry and vermouth in my fridge before it’s reduced to being solely useful for cooking (no shame, but not why I buy most of those bottles). So I’ve had that kind of eye recently as I’ve combed my ingredients and thought about what is worth making. That’s why I’ve been leaning on the Cocchi so much recently.
Of course, I’m still periodically picking up other stuff and building my collection (what do we want? MORE LIQUEURS!). Which is why as I was reordering a few bottles to replace some nearly empty ones from Bitters & Bottles recently, I also added a bottle of Licor 43 to the order.
What is Licor 43 you ask? It’s…tasty? Alright alright, that’s not useful, but the Spanish were onto something. It takes its name from its 43 (top-secret) ingredients but it’s definitely got some vanilla and warming spice to it, and you know, that fits right alongside some rum. Also I like the somewhat sweeter ingredients paired up with stuff like Cocchi and absinthe to help dry it out, so to speak.
So I grabbed my Cocchi, my Licor 43 and…what else…Italy, Spain, why not visit some other parts of Europe? I lean on Chartreuse enough as is, so I actually gave that a rest for once, and grabbed the trusty Vana Tallinn (Estonia, represent) and Amer Picon, because it’s hard to get more European than a spirit you can only get there. What else, what else? Obviously needed a lil rum (Plantation 3 Stars does the trick) and some bitters and absinthe and orange and lemon. I ended up here:
1 oz orange
1 oz lemon
1 oz Plantation 3 Stars
.5 oz Vana Tallinn
.5 oz Licor 43
.25 oz Cocchi di Torino
.25 oz Amer Picon
a couple dashes of Angostura bitters
a few drops of absinthe
You know what to do at this point, right? Put it all together in a mixing tin, shake shake shake, strain into a Hurricane (or similarly sized) glass and enjoy? You can top it with a Luxardo cherry as well, you know, for that touch of class. I added mint to because fresh mint is always fun. There you go, considering you just took a little trip around Europe with all these ingredients, it feels like The Schengen Area is an appropriate name. Enjoy responsibly with a friend :) I also added a few dashes of bitters on top to get that layered look in case you are losing your ind trying to recreate that
BUT JANE, I don’t have Picon and I don’t know how to get it. It’s not the same, but Torani Amer stateside (you can get it at Total Wine for example). Look, we all work with the tools we got, but that’s probably your best best. Otherwise, get creative channeling that unique bitter orange flavor.
This is Trader Jane’s, a periodic newsletter about drinks (mostly tiki) and other fun writing. Follow me on Substack for something every week or two (if we are being honest), and follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more timely updates on my beverages (and for lots of other things of course!)
And, as with any good drink, feel free to share (responsibly, of course)