Apricot Brandy: Apry, Etc.

[slkinsey]

In this drink, I'm usually more concerned about overpowering the Apry than anything else. As opposed to the way maraschino cuts right through in the Red Hook, Apry can get lost behind an assertive rye and especially behind the Punt e Mes. I'd be more likely to bump the Apry up to 3/4 and leave the Punt e Mes at 1/2.

Chris, I'm a little surprised that you're concerned about covering up the rye, considering the bottling you use (fwiw, I think Flatiron uses Rittenhouse). It's hard to find a more assertive straight rye whiskey than Wild Turkey. If any rye can stand up to 2:1:1, it's Wild Turkey 101.

[Nathan]

In this drink, I'm usually more concerned about overpowering the Apry than anything else.  As opposed to the way maraschino cuts right through in the Red Hook, Apry can get lost behind an assertive rye and especially behind the Punt e Mes.  I'd be more likely to bump the Apry up to 3/4 and leave the Punt e Mes at 1/2.

Chris, I'm a little surprised that you're concerned about covering up the rye, considering the bottling you use (fwiw, I think Flatiron uses Rittenhouse).  It's hard to find a more assertive straight rye whiskey than Wild Turkey.  If any rye can stand up to 2:1:1, it's Wild Turkey 101.

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I wonder what Lillet would do instead of the Punt e Mes....

[slkinsey]

I assume you mean the red one? Could be interesting.

[Nathan]

yup...or Vya or Dubbonet.

on the other hand...I wonder what rye, Apry, Lillet Blonde and a touch of citrus (probably lemon...I think that would play better with the Apry) would do? I guess whether that would go with the rye is questionable...

[TBoner]

I made a Slope at 2:.5:.5 a couple of days ago. Really good, and the Apry came through nicely in good balance with the Punt e Mes. I used Overholt, BTW. I think WT Rye might overpower the Apry unless you bumped it up a bit. On the other hand, Chris had good results upthread with WT Rye. At any rate, I think the drink could handle experimentation with the basic ratios.

Edited August 10, 2007 by TBoner (log)

[slkinsey]

TBoner, you say "Apry came through nicely in good balance with the maraschino." Maybe you mistyped? The Slope, which we're talking about, doesn't have any maraschino. In the Slope, Apry more or less subs for the maraschino in a Red Hook... so it's rye, Apry and Punt e Mes (instead of rye, maraschino and Punt e Mes, as in a Red Hook).

[Chris Amirault]

In this drink, I'm usually more concerned about overpowering the Apry than anything else.  As opposed to the way maraschino cuts right through in the Red Hook, Apry can get lost behind an assertive rye and especially behind the Punt e Mes.  I'd be more likely to bump the Apry up to 3/4 and leave the Punt e Mes at 1/2.

Chris, I'm a little surprised that you're concerned about covering up the rye, considering the bottling you use (fwiw, I think Flatiron uses Rittenhouse).  It's hard to find a more assertive straight rye whiskey than Wild Turkey.  If any rye can stand up to 2:1:1, it's Wild Turkey 101.

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Yeah, I had another two nights ago and realized that I can find the Apry just this side of cloying, and thus wouldn't ever bump it up, even with the WT 101. What can I say: I have a complicated relationship to the intensity of rye, I guess!

[TBoner]

TBoner, you say "Apry came through nicely in good balance with the maraschino."  Maybe you mistyped?  The Slope, which we're talking about, doesn't have any maraschino.  In the Slope, Apry more or less subs for the maraschino in a Red Hook... so it's rye, Apry and Punt e Mes (instead of rye, maraschino and Punt e Mes, as in a Red Hook).

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Ummm...right you are. I meant Punt e Mes. Just a momentary brain lapse. At any rate, the drink was quite good.

I've edited the post. Thanks for the heads-up.

Edited August 10, 2007 by TBoner (log)

[mixtress]

The Slope recipe that we serve at Flatiron is:

2 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye

3/4 oz Punt e Mes

1/4 oz Apry

Dash Angostura bitters

Flatiron Lounge recently had a nice Apry drink on their menu called the "Slope" (presumably after Park Slope).  It's similar to the Red Hook, only substituting Apry for the maraschino.  The Red Hook is 2 rye and half each of Punt e Mes and maraschino.  Since Apry is not as assertive as maraschino, you'll want to play with the ratios a bit to find out what works best.

Another cool cocktail for Apry is the Golden Dawn (equal parts Calvados, gin, Cointreau, Apry -- shake, strain, dribble in a little grenadine). 

Apry would also be good as the sweet component of a Julep (I've been making gin juleps with St. Germain elderflower liqueur, but that's for another thread).

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If I recall correctly (don't count on it!)...I think they told me the Slope was 2:1:1. It is a nice drink.

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Edited August 12, 2007 by mixtress (log)

[Chris Amirault]

The Slope recipe that we serve at Flatiron is:

2 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye

3/4 oz Punt e Mes

1/4 oz Apry

Dash Angostura bitters

Now that sounds right on.

[eje]

Well, about all I can say is I'm glad I didn't read mixtress post before I made myself a drink last night.

I went with Nathan's proposed 2:1:1 guidelines.

1 1/2 oz Pikesville Rye

3/4 oz Punt e Mes

3/4 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot Liqueur

Stir, strain.

Yessir, that might just've been the tastiest cocktail I've had in a couple weeks.

The R&W Apricot and the Pikesville are just a beautiful match. Plus, not being as sweet as the Brizard, you can up the amount, and get more of the apricot flavor without exiling the cocktail to candyland.

[bostonapothecary]

Stir, strain.

Yessir, that might just've been the tastiest cocktail I've had in a couple weeks.

The R&W Apricot and the Pikesville are just a beautiful match.  Plus, not being as sweet as the Brizard, you can up the amount, and get more of the apricot flavor without exiling the cocktail to candyland.

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i've got to try this cocktail tomarrow....

i wonder what the brix of R&W apricot is because their creme de violette is far lower than average for a liqueur.... only 20 brix.... the low sweetness is an interesting ethic but give a tiny learning curve to fitting into classic proportions of classic recipes....

[limewine]

Yessir, that might just've been the tastiest cocktail I've had in a couple weeks.

The R&W Apricot and the Pikesville are just a beautiful match.  Plus, not being as sweet as the Brizard, you can up the amount, and get more of the apricot flavor without exiling the cocktail to candyland.

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You're not blowin' smoke there -- I just made up one of these to your specs, and it's a keeper. Not having any Apry on hand, I couldn't tackle the Flatiron original, but the R&W works just as you say -- plenty of apricot flavor, but not cloying. Thanks for putting up this recipe.

[Chris Amirault]

Another cool cocktail for Apry is the Golden Dawn (equal parts Calvados, gin, Cointreau, Apry -- shake, strain, dribble in a little grenadine). 

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Thought I had orange so I started a Golden Dawn with Laird's apple brandy -- then realized I had only lemons. Thus the Maize Morning:

3/4 oz apple brandy (Laird's)

3/4 oz gin (Plymouth)

3/4 oz Cointreau

3/4 oz Apry

1/2 oz lemon juice

Shake; strain. Dribble in grenadine. Peachy -- and peach-y, in fact.

[slkinsey]

I recently acquired a bottle of Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot Liqueur. It's an interesting product and I decided to taste-test it alongside Marie Brizard's Apry, which has long been considered the flagship apricot brandy.

First impressions were that R&W's Orchard Apricot smells a lot more like a just-opened container of dried apricots. It's a light, cleaner, "fresh" aroma. Apry, by contrast, had a richer, more complex nose that was less obviously "apricot." In addition, Apry has a considerable almond-like component in the nose (apricot kernel?).

Tasted along, the R&W product, again, has a light, fresh flavor very evocative of dried apricots. That said, I found the impression a little one-note, without a lot of backbone and complexity, which made me wonder how it would hold up in a cocktail. As predicted, Apry was richer, fuller and had a more substantial mouthfeel, but was less reminiscent of dried apricots. The kernel flavor was also quite apparent. Interestingly, Apry had a slight bite and seemed "hotter" compared to Orchard Apricot. Perhaps this is because Apry is 60 proof compared to only 48 for Orchard Apricot? I believe it was Eric who said that Orchard Apricot isn't as sweet as Apry. I can't say that this was my reaction. Or rather, it may have been the case that Apry's more intense and rich flavors compensated for a higher brix All in all, I didn't have the impression that Apry had any more "sweetness per flavor" compared to Orchard Apricot.

Rothman & Winter says that "Orchard Apricot Liqueur combines juice from the seasonal harvest of Austria’s famed Klosterneuberger apricots (known locally as "Marillen") with an eau-de-vie produced from this same fruit." I wonder if this is an eau de vie made from distilled fermented apricot juice, or whether apricot flesh is macerated in neutral spirits which are then redistilled. Regardless, Orchard Apricot has a fresh, "juicy" character similar to other stabilized-fruit-juice-and-booze products such as Hypnotiq -- although I should hasten to add that R&W's products are much higher in quality. I was a little disappointed that it didn't have a more apparent eau de vie character (more on this below), and I didn't detect any evidence that apricot kernels were used in producing the eau de vie R&W uses in Orchard Apricot. Rather, it presented the light, uncomplicated, fresh "juicy" flavors and aromas of apricot.

Marie Brizard says that "the apricots selected by Marie Brizard come from Africa and the Rousillon region of France. After distillation and maceration, the 'spirit' is blended with the finest Cognac to produce a smooth and velvety liqueur." The label also indicates that caramel coloring is added. It's not entirely clear from this whether MB macerates the apricots in neutral spirits and then redistills the infused liquid, making a kind of eau de vie, or whether the infused liquid is used as-is. Regardless, the almond-like flavors and aromas suggest that apricot kernels may be part of MB's process, whereas they and not part of R&W's process. Unlike Orchard Apricot, Apry does not include apricot juice. Apry uses Cognac (more on this below), which undoubtedly contributes to Apry's richness and overall fuller flavor.

I suppose the most simple comparison between the two of them would be to say that Orchard Apricot is more like fruit juice whereas Apry is more like a fruit preserve. The former has a light flavor of fresh fruit, while the latter has a concentrated flavor of transformed fruit.

We decided to give the two apricot liqueurs a go in a cocktail, and chose the Barnum (Was Right) Cocktail: 2 ounces Tanqueray; 1 ounce Apry or Orchard Apricot; 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice; 1 short dash Angostura bitters; shake/strain. Both liqueurs came through quite nicely, and the two drinks appeared to have approximately the same level of sweetness. The version with Apry was noticably more colored. Interestingly, dilution with other ingredients really opened up Apry's fruit flavors, although the kernel flavor was apparent and the Apry cocktail was noticably richer. The version with Orchard Apricot was overall lighter and more delicate with a more subtle flavoring, while retaining the fresh character that sets R&W's product apart. Overall, my friends preferred the Apry cocktail. I enjoyed them both, and thought the Orchard Apricot cocktail was a nice change of pace. With a product this subtly flavored, however, it's going to be difficult to use in cocktails so that its flavor makes an impact but it doesn't overly sweeten the drink. I can see it being useful as an aromatic float, perhaps (Alchemist used to make me a drink that more or less consisted of a egg white gin sour with a bit of damson and/or sloe gin floated on top -- something like that sounds like a possibility for Orchard Apricot).

With respect to R&W's eau de vie and MB's Cognac (remember I said "more on this below)... a lot depends on how much they're using. Just because they say they're using eau de vie and Cognac doesn't mean that 100% of the liquor has to be eau de vie and Cognac. Indeed, I would be surprised if this were the case. Something like 51% would be what I would expect, and there have been "XXXXX-based liqueurs" sold in the US that have had a substantially lower percentage of the claimed base spirit. I should add, however, that using only a percentage of eau de vie or cognac isn't necessarily a bad thing. The manufacturers add enough of the product to contribute the flavors, aromas, etc. they want. Some manufacturers only claim to be made with "French vodka" or "the finest Cognac" or whatever for image and marketing purposes only, but I don't believe that is the case for either R&W or MB.

[Chris Amirault]

Great research and notes, Sam. Where'd you get the R&W, and how much was it?

[slkinsey]

Don't remember where I bought it. A lot of Haus Alpenz importa (Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur of the Alps, Batavia Arrack van Oosten, Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot Liqueur and Crème de Violette, etc.) are starting to show up in NYC liquor stores lately. Recently I snagged some of their crème de violette, which is quite nice. They sell for a bit less than 25 bucks a bottle, I'd say.

Edited September 18, 2007 by slkinsey (log)

[notahumanissue]

I know you can find the R&W Apricot and Violette at Astor Wines. And LeNell's, of course...

Edited September 18, 2007 by notahumanissue (log)

[Nathan]

yup. haven't seen the Arrack yet. Swedish Punsch is supposed to be on its way as well.

Edited September 19, 2007 by Nathan (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Astor is currently out of stock on the R & W Violette and Apricot. I tried to snag a bottle of Violette today to bring back to Philly with me, but to no avail. <sigh>

[slkinsey]

Can anyone explain what diffrence there is between Pescetes Barack Palinka and Kecskemeti Barack Palinka?

[eje]

Can anyone explain what diffrence there is between Pescetes Barack Palinka and Kecskemeti Barack Palinka?

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My impression was that the Pescetes was Zwack's more generic Apricot Eau-de-Vie (or firewater) and that the Kecskemeti was some sort of a special appellation brand with apricots from a specific area of Hungary.

I can no longer find the website where I got that impression, so perhaps if David Santucci is still around he could comment.

[slkinsey]

I have the Zwack Pecsétes Barack Palinka, and it's not all that fire water-like.

For what it's worth, Pescetes comes in a nicer-looking bottle then Kecskeméti.

Having done some digging:

Kecskemét is a city in Hungary.

I have seen translations of pecsétes meaning "something with a seal" (pecsétel = "to seal"). This makes some sense, as Pecsétes Barack Palinka comes in a special round bottle with a red seal. Other translations have pecsétes meaning "stained or greasy." This might also make some sense, as the slight coloration ("staining") of the spirit comes from aging in used oak.

[eje]

[...] This might also make some sense, as the slight coloration ("staining") of the spirit comes from aging in used oak.

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I could be wrong but I thought I remembered noting Caramel Color on the label...

[slkinsey]

[...] This might also make some sense, as the slight coloration ("staining") of the spirit comes from aging in used oak.

I could be wrong but I thought I remembered noting Caramel Color on the label...

Not on the label of mine...

(ETA quotes for context, since this post starts a new page.)

Edited February 2, 2008 by slkinsey (log)