What The Kirsh? (Original Recipe)

 

It may look like a Cosmopolitan; it may even taste a little like one, but that pink citrusy drink with a lime wedge is not a vodka a and cranberry served up. 

Kirschwasser is a German cherry brandy that has fruity, ether-like notes of black cherries. It is clear and strong and great as a base for a stiff cocktail. The pink comes from the creme de noyaux, an almond liquor. Creme de cacao rounds out the sweetness of the drink with Tootsie Roll notes. This balances just a kiss of lime acidity. See where this is going? Make it and find out.

• 2 oz. Kammer-Kirsch
• 1 oz. Tempus Fugit creme de noyaux
• 1/4 oz. creme de cacao
• squeeze of 1/8 lime wedge
  
• lime wedge garnish

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the lime wedge.

Undertow

 

I really like the combination of flavors in this crushed ice cocktail. There's gin, there's rich rum and nutty creme de noyaux. The fruit flavors are a mix of classic lime juice like a Daiquiri and gummy tasting guava syrup. Undertow is the dangerous current beneath the surface of the water that swimmers must be wary of. You see it in shallows alongside reefs or in rivers beneath a waterfall. Undertow will take you down. 

In this cocktail, the danger beneath the very calm and relaxing surface of tropical flavors is the one-two punch of rum and gin. I used British-themed spirits to represent both in this cocktail. I only wish I had a little British flag as a garnish.

• 1 1/2 oz. gold Jamaican rum (Pusser's used)
• 1 1/2 oz. gin (Bulldog used)
• 1/2 oz. creme de noyaux (Tempus Fugit used)
• 1 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. guava or passion fruit syrup (guava used)
• lime twist

Combine all liquid ingredients in a blender with ice. Blend briefly and pour into a chilled Old Fashioned glass. Twist lime peel over the drink and drop it in the glass. 

Mikado

I've made this cocktail before (I love this picture, too): the reason I'm bringing it back is that I love the ingredients I have on hand now. It completely changes the nature of this drink do do it with good brandy and Tempus Fugit Creme de Noyaux. This spirit is made with apricot and peach pits and almonds. It is very sweet and creamy, but it has a bitter and earthy notes that go well with a rich brandy.

Liber & Co. orgeat also makes this drink rich and nutty. I'm not sure what the flavor profile has to do with the faux Japanese-themed Gilbert and Sullivan opera, but I can better appreciate this drink as a complete, sweet and rich experience.

• 3 oz. brandy (Asbach Uralt used)
• 1/4 tsp. creme de noyaux (Tempus Fugit used)
• 1/4 tsp. triple sec
• 1/4 tsp. orgeat syrup (Liber & Co. used)
• 3-5 dashes of Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Old Etonian

I'm reposting the Old Etonian cocktail as one of the rare classic drinks that use creme de noyaux. This is not even one of the cocktails in the New York Bartender's guide, but it is one of my favorites and I wanted to try it with my new bottle of creme de noyaux by Tempus Fugit. This creme is very classic itself. It goes back to the days when cremes were consumed by themselves--they were twice as strong then, as Tempus Fugit cremes are today--and were not thought of as cheap liqueurs that seldom get used.

This cocktail had its origins in England and pays tribute to Eaton College, a boys boarding school for those with wealth and influence.

• 1 1/2 oz. gin (MurLarkey ImaGination used)
• 1 1/2 oz. Lillet blanc
• 2 dashes Creme de Noyaux (Tempus Fugit used)
• 2 dashes orange bitters (Hella used) 

 Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Pink Almond

The Pink Almond has a few unusual liquors in it that really attempt to make a rich almond flavor shine. Amaretto is a sweet cookie-tasting almond liqueur from Italy. Creme de noyaux is a sweet French almond liqueur that is famous for being bright pink. I'm showing off a bottle of Tempus Fugit Creme de noyaux here! And kirschwasser is a German cherry brandy that has a faint scent of nuts. Put these all together, plus whiskey and lemon juice and you have the Pink Almond.

Which is a little funny because this drink really comes down to being a nutty Whiskey Sour, whatever pretensions it may have. And it is really terrific, if not a little overblown, especially with the amount of alcohol. The whiskey you choose is less important here than the other ingredients, but avoid Bourbon or anything smoky. MurLarkey Heritage with it's own nuttiness on the palate is appropriate.

• 2 oz. blended whiskehy (MurLarkey Heritage used)
• 1 oz. amaretto (Lazzaroni used)
• 1/2 oz. creme de noyaux (Frangelico and a dash of grenadine used)
• 1/2 oz. kirschwasser (Kammer Kirsch used)
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• lemon slice

Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour (don't ask me why, but it's ok) into a chilled sour glass. Garnish with the lemon slice.