Blanc Vermouth

[Yojimbo]

I tried David Wondrich's recipe for an El Presidente from Imbibe magazine yesterday (or close to it, the only grenadine around was Leroux, so I subbed pomegranate molasses, simple syrup, and a drop of orange blossom water). It was good enough for me to ponder other recipes for blanc vermouth; it has a softness and additional sweetness that dry vermouth lacks, so I'm not sure it would play as well with gin, say, without citrus or something else to counteract the sweetness. Anybody else experimenting with this stuff?

[EvergreenDan]

It's taking me an inordinately long time to drink up my bottle of M&R bianco. I want to like it, but it lacks the acidity of dry and the richness of a red sweet vermouth. I find I usually reach past it for something more interesting.

That said, maybe this will help. And you have to love the name!

Eeyore's Requiem

by Toby Maloney, The Violet Hour, Chicago, IL

2 oz Campari

1 oz Bianco Vermouth, Dolin

1/2 oz Cynar

1/4 oz Fernet Branca (skinny)

1 ds Orange bitters (50% Fee / 50% Regan's)

3 twst Orange peel (expressed, one as garnish)

Stirred, garnished with heavy orange oil and a pigtail twist.

My notes: Fabulous. Quite bitter, without any acid to soften it. Fernet adds complexity and depth without obvious menthol. A great drink, even for the Fernet hatter.

[campus five]

I bought of Dolin Blanc for making cocktails, especially White Negronis, but ended up just drinking it on the rocks with a lemon twist and splash of soda.

I can't even remember if I have made a cocktail with it at home. It's the perfect summer afternoon drink. Same thing happened with my bottle of Cocchi Americano.

Still need to get around to making a cocktail with that.

[KatieLoeb]

We have a drink on our menu called the Blanc & Blue. The Dolin Blanc is DELICIOUS with gin:

2.25 oz. Bluecoat gin

.75 oz. Dolin Blanc

Garnish: 3" strip grapefruit rind, expressed over drink and dropped in.

This works with Plymouth too but then we garnish with some skewered blueberries along with the grapefruit twist so the name still works. This is the perfect summer martini. Light and refreshing without being as heavy and boozy feeling as a regular gin martini. It's quite popular.

[Tri2Cook]

Eeyore's Requiem

by Toby Maloney, The Violet Hour, Chicago, IL

2 oz Campari

1 oz Bianco Vermouth, Dolin

1/2 oz Cynar

1/4 oz Fernet Branca (skinny)

1 ds Orange bitters (50% Fee / 50% Regan's)

3 twst Orange peel (expressed, one as garnish)

Stirred, garnished with heavy orange oil and a pigtail twist.

I really like that drink. It's a perfect match of name and taste... pleasantly bitter.

[Yojimbo]

Katie, thanks for pushing me to try it with gin -- you're right, it does go very nicely, it's just that nothing will ever take the place of a classic 2-1 dry martini in my heart, er, stomach.

As for Eyore's Requiem, it sounds fascinating, but without Fernet (I wouldn't call myself a hater, but I'm not an aficionado either) or Cynar, I'm stuck. Time to start subbing and see what happens!

[EvergreenDan]

Yojimbo -- the Fernet is surprisingly subtle. My wife pretty much hates it, and I just make Eeyore's Requiem last night and she loved it like always. You could sub something else minty, I suppose. Cynar is a pretty important amaro. It is worth seeking out. If you like Campari, you'll like (or love) Cynar.

On topic, I also made a little trio of M&R bianco, Sutton Cellars Brown Label Vermouth (a dry very spicy vermouth), and Punt e Mes. Nice acid balance, good body, interesting flavors. Would make a nice semi-kinda-perfect Manhattan.

[campus five]

I'm not really into Martini's, despite having made them with a variety of quality gins, fresh vermouth, and in varying ratios from bone-dry to reverse.

Even the best ones were good, but not something I really enjoy.

However, this variation changes things: http://sloshed.hyperkinetic.org/2010/11/11/marleighs-favorite-martini/

It's 1:1 Citadelle Reserve to Dolin Blanc, orange bitters, lemon twist.

Amazing.

I've never made one for myself because I have seen Citadelle Reserve on the shelves anywhere since, but I just picked up a bottle a couple of days ago. I think it's time to break it out.

*Edited to add that, as Marleigh suggests, the recipe is completely brand specific.

Edited September 14, 2011 by campus five (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Katie, thanks for pushing me to try it with gin -- you're right, it does go very nicely, it's just that nothing will ever take the place of a classic 2-1 dry martini in my heart, er, stomach.

Glad you enjoyed it. It's definitely not meant to take the place of a dry martini. That is and will always be it's own thing and a classic. The Dolin Blanc is delicious on it's own on the rocks with an orange twist or in the Blanc & Blue as a sort of lighter and slightly sweeter variation on a classic dry martini. I'm planning on experimenting with it a bit more and possibly substituting it for sweet vermouth in a few applications to see what happens. I suspect that will work sometimes but not always, depending on what else is in the glass. Will report back when I have something worthy of note...

Edited September 15, 2011 by KatieLoeb (log)

[mkayahara]

It's taking me an inordinately long time to drink up my bottle of M&R bianco. I want to like it, but it lacks the acidity of dry and the richness of a red sweet vermouth. I find I usually reach past it for something more interesting.

That said, maybe this will help. And you have to love the name!

Eeyore's Requiem

by Toby Maloney, The Violet Hour, Chicago, IL

2 oz Campari

1 oz Bianco Vermouth, Dolin

1/2 oz Cynar

1/4 oz Fernet Branca (skinny)

1 ds Orange bitters (50% Fee / 50% Regan's)

3 twst Orange peel (expressed, one as garnish)

Stirred, garnished with heavy orange oil and a pigtail twist.

My notes: Fabulous. Quite bitter, without any acid to soften it. Fernet adds complexity and depth without obvious menthol. A great drink, even for the Fernet hatter.

So, now, it appears that there are two versions of this drink running around. I was just glancing at beta cocktails, and it lists the Eeyor's [sic] Requiem as:

1.5 oz Campari

0.5 oz Tanqueray

0.25 oz Cynar

scant 0.25 oz Fernet Branca

1 oz Dolin blanc vermouth

15 drops 50/50 bitters

3 orange twists

I don't object to the lack of a "definitive" version, but I bet that half-ounce of gin sure makes a difference.

[Tri2Cook]

I make the one without the gin. I don't know if it's considered definitive but it sure is tasty. I've seen the version with less Campari and Cynar and the addition of gin but haven't tried it. I'm willing to but it's going to have to be pretty convincing to be better even if it is authentic.

[Alchemist]

Very sorry about the confusion. The Beta was the very first version. Like many things, the first time ain't the greatest (Prince). So after making it a bunch more times we found the little trick of adding the gin.

It's good both ways, but we like the addition of the proof.

Cheers,

Toby

[mkayahara]

Very sorry about the confusion. The Beta was the very first version. Like many things, the first time ain't the greatest (Prince). So after making it a bunch more times we found the little trick of adding the gin.

It's good both ways, but we like the addition of the proof.

Cheers,

Toby

Thanks for the clarification, Toby. It looks to me more like "variety" than "confusion," and I'll still probably try it both ways.

[Tri2Cook]

Very sorry about the confusion. The Beta was the very first version. Like many things, the first time ain't the greatest (Prince). So after making it a bunch more times we found the little trick of adding the gin.

It's good both ways, but we like the addition of the proof.

Cheers,

Toby

Then I'll definitely have to give it a try... hard to imagine that it could be better than it already is but I can't doubt the word of the man who created it.

[EvergreenDan]

Thanks Toby. I updated the recipe on KC. I also didn't put you together with your eGullet screen name until now. Cool.

(I also fixed my typo, although I like the concept of a "Fernet hatter" -- some guy who walks around with a Fernet hat.)

[Tri2Cook]

(I also fixed my typo, although I like the concept of a "Fernet hatter" -- some guy who walks around with a Fernet hat.)

...and maybe that's the reason the non-fernet hatters, the ones who couldn't get it, were mad.

[EvergreenDan]

OK. Group buy on Fernet hats.....

[Yojimbo]

Not intending to stop the conversation on Eeyore's Requiem (must get me some Cynar), but I made a Gin Blossom using the recipe from Clover Club in the New Brooklyn Cookbook, using Beefeater and Marie Brizzard along with the vermouth and orange bitters --

tasty, but I'm beginning to kick myself for not buying the R & W apricot, which I believe is dryer than the MB. It's just too sweet as it stands, and adding lemon juice to balance it out would change the whole flavor profile. Anyone playing around with this one? More bitters?

The Doulin blanc is worth playing around with, next contestant up is silver tequila.

[misterdyer]

Yojimbo, what you want is apricot eau-de-vie, not apricot liqueur. Blume Marillen is the call here. And grab the Plymouth for this drink, also.

[Yojimbo]

md, if only! Yes, the eau-de-vie is going down on my list, but first I have to use up the rest of the Brizzard, probably a holiday punch at a party. The thirst is there, but budget and liquor cabinet space are limited . . . .

[mkayahara]

md, if only! Yes, the eau-de-vie is going down on my list, but first I have to use up the rest of the Brizzard, probably a holiday punch at a party. The thirst is there, but budget and liquor cabinet space are limited . . . .

I think the point is that an eau-de-vie, being a dry spirit rather than a liqueur, will clear up the problem with the drink being too sweet. It wouldn't be too sweet as written, but with an apricot liqueur, it certainly would be.

On a separate note, I had a quite delicious drink with Dolin blanc when I was at Clyde Common a few weeks ago. It's called the "Nasturtium," and has Dolin blanc, Domaine de Canton, and Bonal Gentiane-Quina in it (with a lemon twist). I didn't bother asking about the proportions, because I can't get any of those ingredients here, but I thought I'd mention it in case anyone wanted to try.

[Yojimbo]

The first experiment with tequila and Doulin Blanc may not be considered a proper experiment by many, since I used Cuervo Gold (hey, it was a half bottle handed off by a friend who was moving out, and I wanted to use it up). 2 oz. tequila to 1 of vermouth, a rough half ounce of Cointreau, and the juice of one quarter lime. The Doulin acts like a water softener for booze, smoothing out the rough edges of the tequila (which, I realize, may run counter to the intentions of most margarita drinkers) and adding a floral element to the orange/lime combo. Actually quite drinkable, but one may ask, what's the point? Still, I'm going to use Milagro Silver next time, lemon instead of lime, and see if the same El Presidente balance appears.

[Yojimbo]

When I looked in my paltry liquor cabinet for more tequila, I found that my bottle of Milagro silver was gone -- though I would like to blame bibulous gnomes lurking in the corners of the apartment, I'm pretty sure I drank it myself. What caught my eye instead was Laird's BIB apple brandy, since I had a couple of inches left and needed to make room for a new bottle. 2 oz. Laird's 1/2 oz. vermouth, and the juice of 1/3 lemon was a bit unbalanced. Two dashes of Peychaud's nudged it in the right direction: it's not a classic like the El Presidente, but it works very nicely, and the Peychaud's gives it a rosy tint that looks good at this time of year. I have a feeling a barspoon of something, Benedictine perhaps, would put everything in harmony. We'll see.

Edited October 13, 2011 by Yojimbo (log)

[tanstaafl2]

md, if only! Yes, the eau-de-vie is going down on my list, but first I have to use up the rest of the Brizzard, probably a holiday punch at a party. The thirst is there, but budget and liquor cabinet space are limited . . . .

I think the point is that an eau-de-vie, being a dry spirit rather than a liqueur, will clear up the problem with the drink being too sweet. It wouldn't be too sweet as written, but with an apricot liqueur, it certainly would be.

On a separate note, I had a quite delicious drink with Dolin blanc when I was at Clyde Common a few weeks ago. It's called the "Nasturtium," and has Dolin blanc, Domaine de Canton, and Bonal Gentiane-Quina in it (with a lemon twist). I didn't bother asking about the proportions, because I can't get any of those ingredients here, but I thought I'd mention it in case anyone wanted to try.

Sounds like an interesting drink but I would have to try to track down some Bonal or better yet find a local bar that would make one for me first. Have no idea about the proper portions of course. Is Bonal with its use of gentian sufficiently distinctive that trying a variation with Lillet or Cocchi Americano would be too different?

Read about a barrel aged Chrysanthemum at Clyde Common that sounded good as well. Have relatives in the Portland area so next time I get out that way will have to give it a try.

[FrogPrincesse]

On a separate note, I had a quite delicious drink with Dolin blanc when I was at Clyde Common a few weeks ago. It's called the "Nasturtium," and has Dolin blanc, Domaine de Canton, and Bonal Gentiane-Quina in it (with a lemon twist). I didn't bother asking about the proportions, because I can't get any of those ingredients here, but I thought I'd mention it in case anyone wanted to try.

Jeff Morgenthaler from Clyde Common was kind enough to share the ratios, so here is the Nasturtium.

2 oz Dolin blanc

1 oz Canton ginger liqueur

1/2 oz Bonal gentiane-quina

lemon twist

A beautiful drink which makes a very nice aperitif.