Thursday, November 19, 2009

pool

1/3 Brandy (1 oz Courvoisier VS)
1/3 Dubonnet Rouge (1 oz)
1/3 Lillet Blanc (1 oz)
2 dash Fernet Branca (1 barspoon)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Add a small dash of absinthe on top (1/2 barspoon Kübler, floated).
Last night after dinner, we were in the mood for a cocktail and I had been waiting for a chance to make a cocktail I found in the 1937 Café Royal Cocktail Book last week. The Pool was invented by bartender Jack Bamford and combines brandy with a pair of aromatized wines and a small amount of absinthe and a bitter liqueur for extra pizazz. The floated dash of absinthe contributed greatly to the nose of the drink as well as donating a milky white sheen over its surface. The absinthe's anise notes lightly carried over to the drink as well. The Dubonnet was one of the first flavors to hit the tastebuds on the sip, followed by the Cognac, and lastly the mentholly notes of the Fernet Branca. It was pretty amazing how modern the drink felt despite being created on or before 1937 and how much the drink mirrored some of the current cocktail recipe trends. Although that comment was not meant to discredit the other older tasty Fernet drinks I have tried such as the mid-1920's Hanky Panky, Don't Give Up the Ship, and Appetizer a l’Italienne amongst others.

4 comments:

Michael Dietsch said...

"Jack Bamford"! Sounds like a pulp hero. Excellent.

erik.ellestad said...

That does sound like a lovely aperitif cocktail! Thanks for writing it up.

Unknown said...

Thank you for bringing the Pool to my attention.
I'm not generally a fan of absinthe, and not much
of a Fernet drinker either, but they both work well
in this drink. Cheers!

frederic said...

It's the light touch that makes it all work. Sometimes a little of either of those two works best.