Cocktail No 90 Opera

Bellissimo! With thanks to my brother Michael and sister-in-law Carole who ensure I am stocked with Maraschino from his base in Napoli. Did anyone else's parent drink Dubonnet back in the 70/80s? Very much out of fashion at present and I had to go to a specialist wine merchants to get a bottle.

A compete change in style to fruity and sweetish, but not cloyingly so. The interplay of the cherries in the Marachino with the herbs in Dubonnet and gin is quite delightful. It tastes very light, almost alcohol free, but don't kid yourrself, this is in the 30% range.

Mild cherry is the predominant flavour, with an earthiness kicking in after a few seconds. Great for a sunny day. Don't miss out the orange peel twist, it definitaly adds extra citrus.

Recipe

2-3 ice cubes
25 ml Birkdale gin
15 ml Dubonnet
15 ml Maraschino
Piece of orange peel

Put all liquids and ice into a shaker and shake well until ice cold. Strain into a cocktail glass. Twist the orange peel to release the citrus oils and drop into the glass.

Cocktail No 75 - Gin Punch

Nice and simple for a warm sunny evening on Easter Saturday.

Its strong and sweet.The Maraschino and juice from the cocktail cherries is really pronounced, but the lemon juice cuts through and prevent it being too sweet. Really refreshing.

Recipe

Ice Cubes
40ml Birkdale Gin
15 lemon juice
2 teaspoons caster sugar
2 dashes Maraschino
Cocktail Cherries
Pineapple chunks (if you have them)

Crush Ice and add to a shallow tumbler. Add gin, lemon juice, sugar and Maraschino. Stir, then decorate with cherries and pineapple chunks.

Cocktail No 66 - Empire

Another brilliantly clear cocktail, on the sweeter side.

The viscosity of the Apricot Brandy is felt before the actual taste - the Calvados dominates with a nutty apply taste followed by the apricot. The gin is omnipresent as a base under pinning everything else.

Normally I don't like too sweet a drink, but this one has everything going for it - complexity, changing flavours on the palate, each element distinctive yet blending and supporting the others. And then of course there is the booze laden Maraschino cherries for double th epleasure.

Recipe

25 ml Birkdale Gin
15 Calvados
15 ml Apricot Brandy
2 Maraschino cocktail cherries

Put ice in mixing glass with Birkdale Gin, Calvados and Apricot Brandy. Stir well and strain into a cocktail glass. Decorate with cherries and serve.

Cocktail No 51 Opera

Sophistication is needed for a night at the Opera and this drink does deliver. Its very similar to a Negroni and will be enjoyed by all who love that classic.

Some references with different ratios of the ingredients can be found on the net, here is one link:

Opera - Cocktailia

The bitterness comes from the Dubonnet, which is a much overlooked aperitif.

The sweetness comes from the Maraschino - is it sad that I bough both of these just so I could try this cocktail? The Maraschino also ass a roundness from the cherry and its own contribution to bitter. The Gin is hiding in the background to deliver a punch to the gut, when you are not expecting it.

First sensation and taste is of cold, sweet and very subtle cherry.  Both the sweetness and the cherry intensify in flavour and the herbs in the Dubonnet start to kick in. Finally after about 2 seconds a warmth spreads through the mouth and across the tongue and the strength of the Gin powers through.

Bitter - Sweet - Strong and complex. Just what a cocktail should be.

Dubonnet website
From its origins with the French Foreign Legion to the legions of modern mixologists still using it today, Dubonnet Rouge Aperitif Wine has been a staple on the cocktail landscape since its introduction in 1846. Created by Parisian chemist / wine merchant Joseph Dubonnet as a means to make quinine more palatable for the soldiers battling malaria in North Africa, Dubonnet's mix of fortified wine, a proprietary blend of herbs, spices and peels, and the medicinal quinine is a recipe that has earned it legendary status in the world of sophisticated drinks.

Recipe

Add 2 measure of Gin and 1 measure each of Dubonnet and Maraschino to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass.

Cocktail No 50 Kirsch Cobbler

As mentioned previously with Kirsch you either love it or hate it, so I suspect this one won't be too popular. Its an interesting drink all the same. The "attack" that you get from Kirsch is tamed very extensively. Partly its through diluting the spirits so its not too strong. Partly its from the alkaline and chalky taste from the bicarbonate in the soda water. The Maraschino adds a sweetening, though I can't say whether I can taste it or not - it does seem more Cherry flavoured than Kirsch alone, so I think it must be rounding out the flavours.

I would say its worth trying at least once. Better as a long drink in the summer perhaps.

Recipe

Add ice cubes to a goblet. Add equal measures of Kirsch and Maraschino and 4-6 Maraschino Cherries. Stir and top up with Soda Water.

Cocktail No 49 Brandy Crusta

From the ingredients this tastes very different from what I was expecting. Its quite sweet from the sugar syrup and the Maraschino (kindly sent over from Naples by my brother, where it costs 2.60 Euros compared to £23 here in the UK!).

There is a deepness from the Angostura Bitters, mixing with the Brandy which is always a great combination. But its the small amount of Maraschino which is the star of the drink. Its a sweet bitter cherry infusion and it subtly changes the brandy - I don't think I would identify it as Cherry in a blind tasting, but I wouldn't have said Brandy either.

Due to the price of Maraschino, this is one to order in the Cocktail Lounge I suspect, unless you have a link to southern Italy.

Its meant to have a sugar coating on the rim of the glass, which is what Crusta means, but I couldn't be bothered with that.

Recipe

If you want the Crusta, dip the rim of the cocktail glass in lemon juice then in caster sugar.

Put ice in shaker with 2 measure Brandy, 1 teaspoon sugar syrup, 3 dashes of Maraschino and 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters. Shake and strain into the cocktail glass. Decorate with spiral of lemon peel.