A new cocktail - The Gillman

[Gillman]

I just invented my own cocktail which I dub, "the Gillman". It is:

- 2 ounces fine straight whiskey of any kind (I use my own personal blend of bourbons)

- 3/4 ounce Grenadine syrup (Rose's)

- one-half thick slice lemon over which I ran a serrated knife to release the juice and aroma

- two drops orange bitters

- good splash Perrier water

- two ice cubes, then stir with swizzler.

A nice rich-but-light summer refresher.

Gary

[ratcheer]

Sounds good, Gary.

Tim

[Gillman]

It is, Tim, thanks. Essentially it is an Old-Fashioned with the variant that Grenadine is substituted for plain sugar or sugar syrup. Grenadine is mostly sucrose but with an overlay of pomegranate flavor, the fruit the syrup is derived from. It adds additional fruitiness and complexity. Grenadine is one of those old fruited mixtures that used to be added to brandies and whiskies in the old days, it smacks of the 1700's to me and old English cups and juleps - probably it's from Turkey and wended its way on clippers to cold Britain to refresh and pick up its native drinks, and thence to America.

Anyway, it's a good cocktail.

Gary

[cowdery]

It's almost counterintuitive to add something sweet to something thatis already as sweet as bourbon, but it works, witness the manhattan and now The Gillman.

[Gillman]

I was concerned too but the amount of Grenadine is not large and more important, in this version, the sweet elements are cut by water and lemon juice. The orange bitters adds a cross-current of bitterness, too (any bitters would do for this drink). There is an interesting rosewater-like effect in the mixture that reminded me of some of the old whiskies people brought to the last Gazebo, especially a 1930's-era Monticello rye John Lipman brought. I don't know if those old whiskies had oxidised and acquired fruity scents (Julian thought this was likely) or had always tasted like that. Maybe before regulations tightened in the later 30's some whiskies had additions of sweet fruit juice of various kinds. But the combination is a good one. Oddly, almost the full taste of the whiskey comes through, e.g. in the personal whiskey blend I used Barton's VOB was an element and I could taste it, that earthy Barton's bite as it's called was there.

Gary

[ratcheer]

Gary, I ordered a Manhattan cocktail in a restaurant, the other night. It was what popped into my mind when I was asked for my drink order.

It was drinkable, but nearly tasteless. I have no idea what ingredients were used or how it was made. I am guessing it was either tasteless American blended whiskey or tasteless Canadian blended whiskey, plus who knows what?

The cherry was tasty.

Tim

[Gillman]

Exactly, probably a blended whiskey was used. It is best to specify, and Maker's or Jim Beam (which most places have) make a very niec Manhattan.

Gary

[LeNell]

Thanks for sharing the drink. Can't wait to try. If I ever open a bar, I must have this on the list.

[Gillman]

Thanks, Lenell your cocktail looks great too I'll certainly try that. I've tried mine with a half-ounce instead of 3/4 ounce Grenadine and that works well too and will appeal to those who like a less sweet cocktail. By the way probably in the literature if you look far enough someone will find my cocktail, so I don't claim it is original. The ingredients are commonly utilised in cocktails so considering the 1000's of drinks invented over the years someone probably thought of it before. But still, it's a nice drink and change of pace from whiskey neat and the more usual cocktails.

Gary