Tropical Month 2024 – Bricks & Mortar
I was wondering if you could turn the peculiar Arsenic And Old Lace cocktail into a tropical drink. While the Original is weird, its mix of ingredients is also very intriguing. So, I set to work and this is the delicious result!
While the original recipe comes in the form of a sweeter Martini variation, I thought I needed some kind of citrus juice to make it more tropical. I went with grapefruit, because it pairs so nicely with gin. On top of that, I kept the Créme de Violette, the Bianco vermouth as well as the absinthe.
Juniper & Malt
For a base spirit, I diverted a bit from gin by using a barrel aged juniper spirit as well as a 100 % Maltwine Genever. For a backbone, I added a sweet and sour mix of lime juice and simple syrup. I first only garnished the drink with a grapefruit twist and two brandied cherries. However, the cocktail felt like it could need some fire, too. So, I filled a spent lime half with orange oil and set it on fire.
3 cl Old Duff 100 % Maltwine Genever
3 cl Goelles Semi-Dry Vermouth
3 Dashes Edmond Briottet Créme de Violet
3 Dashes Oliver Matter Duplais Verte Absinthe
2 Dashes Bittermens Boston Bittahs
3 cl Grapefruit Juice
2,25 cl Lime Juice
1,5 cl Simple Syrup
Garnish: Grapefruit twist – two brandied cherries – spent lime half with burning orange oil;
Song: Editiors – Bricks & Mortar;
The ‘Bricks & Mortar’ starts with an interesting combination of juniper and Genever with the grapefruit juice. Afterwards, certain floral and herbal notes take over. The drink is quite balanced with certain sweet notes.
