Last week I promised one more cocktail made with Dimmi, the Milanese liqueur flavored with grappa and fruit blossoms. Coincidentally this month’s Mixology Monday hosted by The Barman Cometh is about cocktails made with floral ingredients:
The challenge is to feature a cocktail that highlights a floral flavor profile or includes a floral derived ingredient, whether home-made or off the shelf. With the ever expanding catalogue of spirits (and the kitchen labs of home enthusiasts), there’s a whole host of directions for you to choose from – elderflower liqueur, creme de violette, chamomile infused gin, hibiscus grenadine, rosewater, lavender syrup – or to create. With some luck, one of the garnish gurus will figure out a way to turn an orchid into a swizzle stick.
The Sally Port Punk, a slightly bitter aperitif-style cocktail, is the newest addition to the menu at Metrovino:
1 oz blanco tequila
1 oz white port
1/2 oz Dimmi
1/2 oz Campari
Stir, serve up, garnish with an orange twist.
This drink is a straightforward variation on one of my favorite contemporary cocktails, Stephen Shellenberger’s Alto Cucina. Like the Negroni or Last Word, his is a drink that lends itself to infinite variation by substituting one or more of its components for similar spirits:
1 oz Scotch
1 oz dry vermouth
1/2 oz St. Germain
1/2 oz Cynar
Stir, serve up, garnish with an orange twist.
We have one other cocktail on the current menu based on this template, which I’ll post sometime soon.
Jacob Grier is a freelance writer, bartender, cocktail consultant, and magician in Portland, Oregon. He writes, eats, and drinks a lot. His articles have appeared in the print or online editions of The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, Reason, The Oregonian, and other publications.
Is Dimmi a West Coast phenomenon? I haven’t seen it here in Boston.
Good to see you rocking out white port though. It had a small burst of use in new recipes between 1900-1940, then trailed off quickly. Perhaps it’s the Clubland that keeps it on people’s minds.
@Frederic: Yeah, I was serving the Clubland at my bar for a while to get through a stock of vodka I inherited. Definitely part of what had it on my mind.
I don’t know what Dimmi’s distribution is, but it’s worth seeking out. One of my favorite products to show up in Oregon recently.