The Black Manhattan is a favoured cocktail in this household, for good reason. As one who’d never turn down the chance to enjoy a respectable rye whiskey (something that’s latterly become far easier in the UK) this Manhattan variant is all the excuse I need, marrying well with Averna‘s dark sugar aromatics. Anyhow, this post is meant to be about rum, so I’ll move on. There’s a through line here, I promise you.
As per the last post, I was intrigued by the Neroli Gin neat, but not won over by its perfumed whack when tried neat. In a G&T there was more room to breathe, but I still wasn’t sure that was the best use for it, so I thought I’d give it another shot – this time in a Negroni. My justification being that Campari and red vermouth would have enough oomph to stand alongside this gin’s perfumed smack in the face.
My other half (who is also responsible for any good photography you might find on this site) was at a gin tasting late last year and came back raving about one in particular: Neroli gin, by That Boutique-y Gin Company. With characteristic tardiness, I grabbed a bottle for her as a late Valentine gift, and then felt I had no choice but to try it myself. For research purposes.
I was casting about for a quick spritz-ish recipe in a pre-prandial vein and my eyes alighted on a bottle of Amaro Montenegro. Given it has a bit more oomph than Aperol (23%, as opposed to 11%), I thought it would carry a long drink better sans bubbly. It’s also more complex, with a hint of rose at the end that’s rather fun. So as to pretend I was creating something out of whole cloth, rather than just adding soda, I also grabbed some Créme De Pêches, orange bitters and a lemon.
Richard Davie 