Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry

I've been a fan of Manhattans for a while now, and in the last two years have even come around on Martinis and a range of other similar mixed drinks. But even as I've experimented with a wide range of whiskeys, vodkas and gins (home-infused and not), and gone so far as to make my own bitters (I'll get around to posting on that one fo these days...), the vermouth has remained the standard off-the-shelf variety. Mostly, because that's about all that's available.

But on a recent visit to 3Cups, I overheard Matt S. extolling the virtues of their (recently-added) AOC Vermouth, Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry. Intrigued, I interrogated further and learned that the staff had done a taste test with the Vermouth, on ice, by itself – and that it'd passed with flying colors. Say no more! I picked up a bottle of the Dry and of the Blanc (sweet and white – never even heard of such a beast before) – they were out of the Rouge – and prepared to give them a test-run that evening when B. and S. came over for dinner.

First, tasting straight-up, chilled.

Round 1: Taste Test

Dry: incredibly delicate and tasty, herbal with a nice bitter finish but not parched. Really does make a great apertif.

Sweet: fuller palette,  still nice herbal flavors but pops a little more without being saccharine in the way your normally think of sweet vermouth.

Round 2: Cocktails

Lately, Perfect Manhattans have been my cocktail of choice and this seemed like a perfect (ha!) opportunity to really put these vermouths through their paces.

Perfect Manhattan a la Carrboro

Ingredients

2 oz. Pendleton Blended Canadian Whisky
1/4 oz. Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry Dry
1/4 oz. Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry Blanc
Dash herbal-citrus bitters
Dash Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters

Procedure

Add to shaker over ice; shake vigorously and strain into glass

Verdict


Maybe the best Manhattan I've ever had: balanced, delicate, flavorful with herbal, caramel, vanilla tones all melding together in an absurdly smooth drink. Obviously I can't speak highly enough of the Dolin – totally converted, and can't wait to pick up a bottle of the Rouge.

Infusions and Cocktails: Update

A vacation in the woods seemed a good time to demo several new infusions and cocktail preparations. Captive audience, friends who would presumably tell me the truth and apparently – mostly success. The biggest winner without a doubt was the fennel vodka infusion, both solo and as a mixer. Annoyingly, supermarkets trim the crap out of the fronds of fennel, meaning I'll have to wait until the farmer's market on Wednesday to replenish my stocks (not that that's the worst thing anyhow), but I also think that the freshness of the fronds was a major contributor to the success of the infusion.

Typically I'm not a huge anis-flavor fan, but this came out less licorice and greener, fresher and sweeter. Really tasty chilled on its own, it was also the hands-down cocktail winner as follows:

Tupper Lake Special

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. fennel-infused vodka
• ice, crushed or cubes
• large lemon wedge
• bitters
• vanilla seltzer (or plain)

Procedure:

1. Add ice to cocktail glass
2. Pour shot of fennel-infused vodka over ice
3. Add dash of bitters
4. Squeeze lemon wedge fully, and drop in drink
5. Fill with seltzer
6. Enjoy!

Verdict:

Obscenely tasty and refreshing

Another favorite of mine on the week:

Mos Isley Bandit

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. fig eau de vie
• 1 oz. cardamom-infused vodka
• 1/4 oz. chili-infused vodka
• 1/4 oz. dry vermouth
• ice, crushed
• lime wedge

Procedure:

1. Pour all booze in shaker with ice; shake thoroughly
2. Put ice in cocktail glass; pour shaker over ice
3. Squeeze lime and add to glass
   
4. Enjoy!

Verdict:

Spicy and weird, bitter and sour, I was definitely the biggest fan of this drink. Not bad for anyone else but certainly an acquired taste.

And a new summer number on my return:

Carrboro Carass

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz. clove-infused vodka
• bitters
• 3 oz. San Pellegrino Limonata
• ice, cubed

Procedure:

1. Mix as many shots of the clove vodka and bitters as you like in a shaker
2. Put ice in cocktail glasses
3. Pour shaken mixture over ice
4. Add Limonata
5. Enjoy!

Verdict:

Unsurprisingly, clove and lemon work well together. Super-tasty.

Next time, on Friar Lane infusions:

...currently working up the next batch of old favorites, and a few new special guest stars. Hint: rhymes with gin.