This session, hosted by the fine folks at Booze Nerds, is themed around Resin. At the announcement I'm sure the Washington participants began eagerly scraping their bongs into shaker glasses while the native Oregonians visited the ceremonial Doug Fir each had planted upon birth. I, like most midwesterners, turned to the Bible.
Myrrh, which for me ranks below Gold but way above Frankincense, is a dried tree resin with a role in traditional medicine as a "tonic in dyspepsia[...], a stimulant to the mucous tissues". Tom's uses it in their ineffective toothpastes, and that bastion of cocktail ideas the Archaeological Institute of America suggests that it can be used as effective painkiller. In liquor, it is most famous as an ingredient in Fernet Branca and was historically mingled with wine to a vermouth like effect.
It dissolves quite readily in alcohol, adding a mysteriously oriental aroma and pleasant bitterness. Based on what ol Maude Grieve had to say, I found 1 gram mixed into 8 oz of wine seemed to be an adequate amount, but I am not a doctor and if you mix things that you don't know anything about with alcohol and then die it is your fault. A sort of zippy pinot gris worked well, or more accurately, was already open in the refrigerator and my girlfriend said it was okay if I used it for some stupid project.
The myrrh wine was paired up with New Deal Distillery's juniper-laden Gin #1, which fits the resin theme. Skinos Mastiha Liqueur rounds it out and adds a bit of sweetness. The principle flavoring in Skinos is mastic gum, another aromatic shrub resin which I would write more about but really how much can anyone read about this stuff in one sitting...The cocktail is along the lines of a martini in subtlety, without much for sweet or sour components which makes it a great apertif. A lesser man might have called it a 'Myrrh-tini', but I still have some modicum of dignity and self-respect.
 |
| The Cup Which Jesus Refused 1.5 oz Myrrh infused wine .75 oz New Deal Gin #1 .75 oz Skinos Mastiha Liqueur Soda water Combine in shaker with ice, stir to lightly chill. Strain into glass and top with soda water. |
