Originally posted 17th September 2012
A month has passed since DDCh14. Why? I have not been teetotal? Merely less adventurous when it has come to the Art of Pour. Many an afternoon has been spent in the pub, sucking down lagers and my personal favourite tipple of late; Crabbies Alcoholic Ginger Beer. Please try it, it’s really rather good. Additionally, the talk of the town has been of restaurants lately, not bars. I tried the rather inconspicuous House Grog over at MEATLiquor, but the components are so vague and terrible that it’s certainly not ‘discerning’ (and only just ‘drinking’).
It’s fair to say that a whole season has passed by; even the Paralympics are a passing memory; the closing ceremony was shockingly banal and we find ourselves staring down the barrel into Autumn. Happy September everyone, the Christmas decorations are in stock.
Luckily, a new season equates to a fresh take on cocktails, and boy has Carmine’s been busy of late! A choice purchase of fine apple juice leads us to a couple of future classics – starting off with the self-coined, self-penned…
Carmine Cidre
Influenced by the once wonderful, now shite Stella Artois Cidre adverts, Carmine Cidre is a much more palatable and refined ‘on the rocks’ drink for the Bon Viveur who associates Stella with the more downtrodden things in life. To make Carmine Cidre you will need:
- 1.5 shots Maker’s Mark Bourbon
- 1 shot Southern Comfort
- 1.5 shots Apple Juice (freshly pressed please)
- Quarter shot Lemon Juice
- Quarter shot 2:1 Sugar Syrup
A quick taste gave me reason to believe that these measures were as near as makes no difference to being bang on. A little harsh on the tongue, so I shook everything over ice and used the wet ice from the shaker in the finished product; served in a tumbler.
I enjoyed this one a lot. It is well-balanced and there is a welcome warmth of Bourbon and SoCo which is carried on the juice remarkably well. It is the slightest bit dry – but crisp – like a crunchy apple, scrumped from the orchard by a spritely little child.
The way that I am crowing majestically and bizarrely about this drink you may also – and quite rightly – suspect that a Carmine Cidre is surprisingly strong. A couple of rounds of these and we were actually enjoying the X Factor.
Probably a good thing seeing as that’s all we have to look forward to until Christmas anyway…
thefoodthing.net 