Bonal Gentiane-Quina

[FrogPrincesse]

Continuing to play with my Bonal. Uffizi (Will Thompson) with Bonal, Cocchi Americano, white grapefruit juice, salt rim (I went with a thin half rim). It's a very nice lightweight aperitif. The Bonal and Cocchi Americano played well together, and even though there was a good dose of juice, it still tasted interesting. A good drink to start the weekend.

 

 

 

 

[EvergreenDan]

I tried Rafa's creation with Smith & Cross and Rhum JM Blanc. Really excellent, although next time I would skew the rums toward the agricole to give it more of a chance against the Smith & Cross -- maybe 1oz agricole to 1/2 oz Smith & Cross. Lovely, lovely drink. Needs a name.

[Rafa]

Needs a name.

 

I'm open to suggestions. Names for hairstyles, preferably, though the working title is Troubadour, simply because it looks similar and isn't taken. 

[Kerry Beal]

I'm open to suggestions. Names for hairstyles, preferably, though the working title is Troubadour, simply because it looks similar and isn't taken. 

Quiff.

[FrogPrincesse]

I'm open to suggestions. Names for hairstyles, preferably, though the working title is Troubadour, simply because it looks similar and isn't taken. 

 

I see that you've named it the Bona Drag. Nice.

[Rafa]

I see that you've named it the Bona Drag. Nice.

 

I find much of Morrissey's persona/opinions to be, well, a drag, but true to Kerry's suggestion upthread the dude rocks a quiff, and tends to have many hair-themed songs, and I can't ignore the Bonal/Bona thing. Plus Suedehead is a jam. 

[FrogPrincesse]

I find much of Morrissey's persona/opinions to be, well, a drag, but true to Kerry's suggestion upthread the dude rocks a quiff, and tends to have many hair-themed songs, and I can't ignore the Bonal/Bona thing. Plus Suedehead is a jam. 

The hair is not what it once was, that's for sure. But I tend to only focus on the music. The rest is of little interest to me.  

 

Anyway, here is The Dark Side (Josh Durr) with bourbon (High West Son of a Bourye), Bonal gentiane-quina, lime juice, simple syrup, orange bitters. It was ok.

 

 

[Czequershuus]

Quick question, what is the best way to store Bonal? Based on the ABV I am inclined to refrigerate, but based on limited space if it is reasonable to store at room temp without spoilage that seems preferable.  

[EvergreenDan]

My bottle of Bonal is in the refrigerator. Leave the milk out the counter. I'm sure it will be fine.

[FrogPrincesse]

Mine is also in the fridge, under inert gas.

[Czequershuus]

Thanks to Dan's advice my bottle of Bonal is comfortable resting in my fridge. However, before it put it in I had to try a few experiments. 

 

My first go was the Now Voyager (link), a creation of none other than the inimitable Rafa

 

1 Oz Jamaican Rum (Smith & Cross)

1 Oz Rhum Agricole (La Favorite Blanc-also a new purchase)

1 Oz Bonal

2 ds Xocoatl Mole Bitters

Stir, strain, up, lemon twist (discard)

 

Fantastic drink, lovely rich deep flavors. The combo of chocolate bitters and the Bonal is a great one. 

 

To find out how Bonal worked in a sour application, I also tried Ted Kilgore's Word to the Wise (link)

 

1 Oz OGD 114 Bourbon (Wild Turkey 101)

0.5 Oz Bonal

0.5 Oz Green Chartreuse

0.5 Oz Maraschino

0.5 Oz Lime Juice

Shake, strain, up, cherry(omitted)

 

Perhaps a touch sweet, but very nice flavor combo. The Chartreuse, Maraschino, and lime puts me in mind of a Last Word, but with the extra herbal notes from the Bonal it is more complex - less refreshing but more contemplative.

 

I am loving the Bonal so far. I was a little worried when I tasted it at room temperature, as it had a bit of an aftertaste. But chilled or in cocktails it is very lovely.

[lesliec]

Now Voyager sounds like me, but in the absence of Bonal in our local stores I'd be looking towards Suze.  What adjustments to quantities would you suggest?

[FrogPrincesse]

Leslie- although they both contain gentian, Bonal is closer to a red vermouth (just imagine Punt e Mes with a touch of gentian), whereas Suze much more gentian-forward, with some citrus as well (it's closer to something like Cocchi Americano), and may not work very well in that recipe.

Edited September 16, 2014 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[lesliec]

Merci, madame.  I might have a play - maybe two thirds Punt to one third Suze - and see what happens.

 

Otherwise I guess I'm going to have to send the Lear over (again) for supplies.

[lesliec]

I am delighted to report that .75 oz Punt e Mes and .25 oz Suze (with Appleton 12, cachaça and xocolatl bitters) makes rather a fine drink. Whether it's quie what Rafa intended for Now Voyager remains to be seen.

[Rafa]

That sounds like a lovely drink all of its own. 

Edited September 17, 2014 by Rafa (log)

[Czequershuus]

I created something based on the Corpse Reviver No. 2 for MxMo LXXV ("Flip Flop!"), You Only Live Twice with rye & Bonal. Here is the original on the left and the twist on the right. It worked out well. I need to use my Bonal more often.

 

 

Sipping on this right now, and it really is fantastic. 

[FrogPrincesse]

Thank you! So glad you liked it.

[Czequershuus]

Been waiting to try this one for a while: The Notorious F.L.I.P. A bad pun always attracts me to a drink. And this one did not fail me. I mean, it was really fantastic, deep, rich, one of those cocktails that is more than the sum of its parts. Only problem is I am nearly out of Smith & Cross now. 

[FrogPrincesse]

Midnight Marauder (Joaquín Simó): Vida mezcal, Cynar, Bonal, mole bitters.

 

Bonal and Cynar go well together (see the Bicycle Thief, Boulevardier Riff, L'Iguana, etc) and so do Cynar and Mezcal (The Man Comes Around, Gastown, Last Mechanical Art). So, logically, Bonal + Cynar + Mezcal is another winning combo.

 

The Marauder is bitter but not ridiculously so, smoky, with a slight metallic edge. When the flavor develops, you get lots of chocolate notes.

 

 

Edited October 24, 2014 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

Here is what happens when I decide to make something new after a long day at work.

Add overproof rye, calvados, green Chartreuse and bitters to mixing glass. Add ice, mix. What a wonderful smell. Wait a second - that's a lot of booze. Right, this was supposed to contain Bonal. No idea why I grabbed Willet rye when I was supposed to use Bonal, but since I had only made a third of the recipe, I was able to fix it so it would not ignite spontaneously.

 

 

 

Always Crashing the Same Car (Colin Shearn)

1.5 oz Laird's Bonded Applejack (0.5 oz each Daron XO calvados and Willet 2-year rye)

1.5 oz Bonal Gentiane-Quina Aperitif (1 oz Bonal)
1 tsp Green Chartreuse (2/3 barspoon)
1 to 2 dashes aromatic bitters (1 dash Angostura bitters)
Grapefruit peel twist (dash BDW grapefruit bitters)

 

It was a tad bitter and had unexpected black licorice notes. I added a brandied cherry so it would be a little less intense.

 

[EvergreenDan]

1 oz Smith & Cross

1/2 oz Bonal

1/2 oz Punt e Mes

1/2 oz Dolin dry

1/2 oz Campari

 

Pretty great. Eeyore's Requiem meets Bitter Mai Tai?

[sbumgarner]

1 oz Smith & Cross

1/2 oz Bonal

1/2 oz Punt e Mes

1/2 oz Dolin dry

1/2 oz Campari

 

Pretty great. Eeyore's Requiem meets Bitter Mai Tai?

 

Had one of these last night, outstanding.

[FrogPrincesse]

Another Dandy Shim variation with rye for the Mixology Monday Challenge. This one with Bonal was inspired by the Dandy Cocktail in the Savoy Cocktail Book.

 

I get a lot of spice and bitter orange with that combination.

 

Rye Dandy Shim II with Bonal, Willet 2-year rye, lemon juice, Cointreau, Angostura bitters, cane syrup, orange & lemon peel garnish.

 

Edited November 21, 2014 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[Craig E]

On March 29, 2013 at 3:32 PM, campus five said:

I don't think I ever put this up here, but on my last visit to Seattle in May 2012, we visited Murray at Canon.

He made us a flight of manhattans. All three were 2:1 rye to vermouth, 2 dashes ango, lemon peel. I can't remember what rye, but the vermouths were carpano antica, dolin rouge, and bonal. Without knowing what was what, I picked the bonal one as the clear favorite. And Antica (or Cocchi di Torino) is generally my favorite in everything.

Gonna have to try the rye/cynar/bonal combo next.

I've also dug the "rope burn" which is 1:1:1 smith&cross/aperol/bonal - grapefruit peel. delicious.

 

Ooh, I do like that Rope Burn.

Certainly syrupy sweet up front, but the tingly bitter caramel finish keeps the candy flavors in check for me.