Cocktail No 103 Brandy Cocktail

I had overlooked this one and what a gem. There is a caramelised undertone, coming from the combination of the brandy and the rosso vermouth and whilst they have combined to give this rich, sensuous taste, but they are both very distinctive and punch through their own unique tastes.

Stirring gives a more viscous liquid than shaking, adding interest to the mouth feel.

It's simplicity itself

Recipe

1-2 ice cubes

40ml Brandy

20 ml Rosso Vermouth

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Twist of lemon peel

Add all ingregients except lemon peel to a mixing glass. Stir well to chill until the liquid takes and on a slighty oily texture. Strain into a cocktail glass and add twist of lemon peel.

Cocktail No 102 Pisco Sour

An old school friend has been cycling from the bottom of South America to the north. He had reached Chile by the time the COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and can't leave the country. He has introduced to the the local spirit and I can see why Simon is so taken with it. The spirit is Pisco.

Pisco is a colorless or yellowish-to-amber colored brandy produced in winemaking regions of Peru and Chile. Made by distilling fermented grape juice into a high-proof spirit, it was developed by 16th-century Spanish settlers as an alternative to orujo, a pomace brandy that was being imported from Spain.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisco

Pisco itself has a very minor grappa taste, which makes sense as its a grape Eua de Vie, but without the pips or made from a 3rd presing, so a lot milder on that distinctly grappa taste. 

Initially I forgot the Angostura bitters. It is very pleasant - a perfect sour, smooth, well balanced between the sweet and sour, the spirit doesn't contribute much to the flavour, its somewhere between and rum and a brandy sour. That is not denigrating the Pisco. That it blends everything else together in harmony is a compliment. 

I am a fan.

Recipe

2-3 ice cubes

50ml Pisco

50 ml lime juice (not lemon)

50ml Sugar syrup

1 egg white (I omitted this to save on washing. It doesn't affect the taste, but gives a froth and different mouth feel).

Dash of Angostura bitters

Add all ingredients except the bitters to a shaker and shake vigorously to incorporate the egg white. Strain into a cocktail glass and add a dash of bitters.