New Year holidays are over, but Frederic continues fun announcing next Mixology Monday event. Thanks to Jordan Devereaux whose Chemistry of the Cocktail blog hosts the event for choosing so excellent choice – «Fortified Wines».

Fortified wines are known as old and reliable cocktail components used in many mixed drinks such as cobblers, punches, flips, sangarees. Later they started to concede their positions to vermouths which are fortified wines too but also are aromatized with herbs, roots etc.
Anyway, Jordan challenge us with such words:

For this month’s Mixology Monday, I’d like to see what you all can do with these versatile wines. They can play many different roles – from taking the place of vermouths in classic drinks, to providing richness and sweetness in winter tipples, to serving as a base for lighter aperitifs. Whether forgotten classics or new creations, let’s see what you can put together.

For me, it was easy decision to select between few fortified wines I can buy in Moscow. Sherry is my obvious choice.

I love dry sherries to sip neat and I love fragrant and rich sweet sherries in cocktails. And concerning cocktails: in winter I go for strong and aromatic libations therefore I’ve choosed little known drink I spotted in «Cafe Royal Cocktail Book Coronation Edition» by W.J. Tarling. It’s called Bon-Accord and consists of gin, sherry and two liqueurs – Chartreuse and Aurum.
Mr. Tarling called here for dry sherry but I’ve opted for oloroso which is not too sweet and very fragrant. Aviation Gin was selected to support the oloroso.

Bon-Accord

Bon-Accord greets with the liqueurs’ robust aroma – sweet orange of Aurum and anise, cinnamon and lemon balm of Chartreuse. Sherry adds a little: weak wine background with nutty hints. In the middle the liqueurs give a chance to gin, and it brings more pleasant dry notes allowing sherry to flourish with hints of nuts, wood and grape seeds. Finish is on a drier side with enormous number of aromatic notes from all the ingredients.

Also I’ve tried stirred version, and it was sharper and a bit sweeter as the liqueurs conquer all other components.

Thanks again to Jordan Devereaux for hosting. Wait till the 21st of January and then visit his Chemistry of the Cocktail blog for round-up.