Mother's Whistler

Who's whistling at Mom? I can't make sense of this drink, other than someone thought it was the expected outcome when their mother started drinking. This is an all-out pineapple and vodka drink with the help of the dry fruitiness of kirsch. 

I don't have any pineapple sticks, as is recommended in the recipe, because I only have canned pineapple juice. But a little garnish goes a long way in signaling tropical flavor in this vacation-in-a-glass.

• 1 1/2 oz. vodka (Smirnoff 57 used)
  
• 4 oz. pineapple juice
• 1/2 oz. orgeat syrup
• dash kirsch
• pineapple stick

Combine liquid ingredients in a shaker with crushed ice. Shake briefly and pour into a chilled Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with pineapple stick or whatever tropical flair you have around. 

Swiss Manhattan

 

 

I love a good Manhattan, but sometimes they are too rich for summer sipping. This Swiss version has the dry vermouth of a summer Dry Manhattan with equally dry cocoa whiskey. Kirschwasser and a cherry suggest a chocolate covered cherry, but there's none of the sweetness you associate with chocolate drinks. 

That is because MurLarkey cocoa whiskey is white whiskey rested on bitter cocoa nibs. It is just as strong as whiskey with a bitter chocolate finish. 

I was disappointed with the New American Bartender's Guide recipe that not only didn't have chocolate, but included such a small proportion of whiskey. I've simply upped the size of the drink by adding cocoa whiskey, but kirschwasser does not add the sweetness that this old recipe anticipates--not the real kirschwasser, anyway. A few drops of sugar is preferable in the large size recipe. 

• 1 1/2 oz. bourbon
• 1 1/2 oz. MurLarkey cocoa whiskey
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
  
• 1/2 oz. kirschwasser
• several dashes aromatic bitters (Hella used)
• maraschino cherry

Combine all liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherry.