It’s Mixology Monday time again. This months theme comes from Nick, over at the Booze Baron blog. His theme is all about dry cocktails. Nick gives us some very specific requirements. No more than 20% total sweetened ingredients if you are using fortified wine (like vermouth) or 10% otherwise. Sounds like something right up our alley. With that in mind we set out to whip up some dry cocktails.

We thought through the dry cocktails we love, and the Vesper was a gimme. We reconfigured it by reducing the size a bit, upping the lemon flavor, adding some spring herbs (the only thing harvestable here in May ;)) and subbing aquavit for the vodka (cheers to Ballard! I play accordion and I vote!).

The Danelaw

• 1 1/2 oz dry gin
• 1/2 oz aquavit
• 1/2 oz Lillet Blanc
• 5-6 sprigs of thyme (We used orange thyme but regular old garden thyme will work fine, you just won’t get the orange notes)
• 2 lemon peels

Muddle thyme and lemon peel in mixing glass. Add other ingredients. Stir for 15 seconds without ice. Add ice. Stir till cold. Double strain into a glass.

• Nose: Lemon peel, orange peel, thyme, juniper, caraway. Hint of dill or similar savory spice.
• Palate: Lemon peel, tiny hint of wine sweetness, orris root and angelica to start. Mid-palate is toasty caraway, juniper, and similar savory notes of gin and aquavit. Strong orange thyme at the end of the mid-palate and into the finish. Aftertaste is strong lemon peel.

Next up, we decided to mosey along the Old Fashioned route, with maybe a nod to The Fritz. We went with a bourbon as a sweeter base spirit, fortified and sweetened that with a touch of spiced demerara syrup, and added some bitters to add more spice and fruit flavors as well as some, well, bitterness. Orange peel provided some brightness and helped harmonize the fruit and spice flavors.

Fucking Tuesday

• 2 oz bourbon
• 1 bar spoon spiced Demerara syrup (We used the Cocktail & Sons)
• 3 dashes Boker’s bitters
• 1 dash cherry bitters (go light if you’re using the Fee Brothers)

Stir all ingredients with ice. Strain into a glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

• Nose: Sweet oak, cherry, orange, cinnamon, chamomile, black pepper.
• Palate: Vanilla, cherry and eucalyptus to start. Mid-palate is really dark, dry and bitter. Toasty malt, darker notes from the oak, tannic black tea, dried orange peel, baking spices. Finish is very dry and bitter with cherry notes and orange peel.

There you have it, two delicious dry cocktails perfect before dinner, after dinner, or if you’re like us, whenever the mood strikes you for a dry cocktail. Thanks to Nick for hosting this month and as always thanks to Fred for keeping the doors open and the lights on. Until next time, cheers!