MxMo LXVI: Bein’ Green – October’s Still Green

Happy to see MixMo online cocktail parties back in action. It was a blow for me to miss «Equal Parts» event due to my illness. Excellent topic, very interesting. My respect is to Frederic for that event and for reviving MixMo parties, of course.

Also my warm words come to Ed of the Wordsmithing Pantagruel who hosts the current party and has invented a topic for it. So timely now, «Bein’ Green» is the theme for the party and Ed’s explanation is:

With the warm days of summer now fading off into the distance in our rear view mirrors, let’s pay one last tribute to the greens of summer before the frosts come and our outdoor herb gardens give up the ghost for the winter.

Very poetic, isn’t it? I have no idea how it happens in USA but here in Moscow October is a dismal thing, a month of cold rains and of cloudy sky. So any memories of green summer assume greater importance.

Bein’ green is not easy. Ed asked all participants to use at least one green ingredient: liqueurs, spirits, herbs, mixers, even garnishes…

OK, I love to work with spicy herbs so I go for a simple drink with muddled herbs and lightly flavoured spirit. Honestly, that’s not my idea. I’ve found similar recipe in some food and drink blog but it was three years ago, and now I failed to remember from where I’ve filched a thought to mix vodka, rosemary, parsley and lime.

Anyway I’ve tweaked it a bit. One day I worked with pear eau-de-vie and thyme and took a notice of that nice combination. Pear eau-de-vie isn’t a common cocktail ingredient but it tastes much better than vodka and (especially) pear-flavoured vodka. Hope that’s not a tough task to buy pear eau-de-vie in USA. If I’m wrong and that’s a real problem, I would opt for premium unflavoured vodka.

Well, it’s time to stop talking. Let’s mix!

October’s still green

1 ½ oz pear eau-de-vie (Wieser Standard Williamsbirnenschnaps),
½ oz fresh lime juice,
¼ oz simple syrup,
1 tsp Green Chartreuse,
1 small rosemary sprig,
1 small parsley sprig (and reserve another nice big sprig to use as a garnish).

Muddle rosemary and parsley lightly with lime juice, Chartreuse and syrup at the bottom of your shaker. Add eau-de-vie and ice. Shake. Double strain in a cocktail glass and garnish with a big parsley sprig.

The cocktail’s flavour is built on combination of coniferous-like rosemary and tart green pear. Rosemary’s good friend, parsley helps to balance astringent coniferous aftertaste and adds more herbal freshness to the taste. Chartreuse makes crisp herbal-and-spicy background for the pear-rosemary combination.
First sip is full of herbal notes with rosemary up front and light citrus freshness deep behind. Tartness comes at the swallow with nice flavour of pear core and peel but it’s quickly brought in balance with herbal sweetness of Chartreuse.

Hope this unpretentious drink will be able to attract somebody’s attention and to remind of the past summer.

Cheers!