Solar Radio

This is an original recipe I blogged for a Mixology Monday that called for a favorite niche spirit. I went with kirsch, a classic eau-de-vie made from cherries, and accented it with another niche item, dry sherry, which seems under-appreciated in my home country of the United States.

For those who haven’t had much experience with dry sherries, they have a distinctive pistachio and green apple aroma which comes from a compound called acetaldehyde, the result of oxidization in the presence of a layer of special yeasts referred to as the flor.

Dry sherries don’t hold well once opened, and should be consumed quickly—within a day or so for best flavor.



Solar Radio

• 2 oz kirsch
• 1 oz dry sherry (anything labelled fino, manzanilla or amontillado)
• 1 – 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• Amarena or brandied cherry, garnish

Stir kirsch, sherry and bitters with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add cherry garnish.
ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

This is a dry, aromatic cocktail that would be suitable before dinner or for other Martini-type situations.

MxMo LVIII: Favorite Niche Spirit

Thanks to Filip of Adventures in Cocktails for hosting this month’s Mixology Monday. Filip’s theme is Favorite Niche Spirit, and he’s challenged us to post a drink based on something other than the standard options: gin, rye, bourbon, rum, etc. Friends reading this might expect me to do an aquavit post, but I’m suddenly inspired by a bottle of Maraska kirsch. It’s an assertive and fairly funky cherry eau-de-vie, and I thought it might stand up to and compliment the strong nut flavors of amontillado.



Solar Radio

• 2 oz kirsch
• 1 oz amontillado
• 1-2 dashes Angostura bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Amarena or other sweet, dark cherry garnish.
SOURCE: ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

A complex, dry cocktail. The sherry seems very forward at first, but the kirsch becomes increasingly pervasive. The dessert cherry gives some contrast at the end but still relates to the cherry and almond notes in the drink.