Tuesday, October 27, 2009

masquerade

2 oz Plymouth Gin
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
2 drop Kübler Absinthe
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with. Strain into a wine glass.

On Sunday evening after returning from our weekend adventure, Andrea and I stopped into Green Street before finally making our way home. We found seats at the far end of the bar and sat down in front of ex-Alchemist Lounge bartender Derric Crothers who took our drink orders. Off of the 6 page menu I chose the Masquerade. I later was able to trace the recipe back to Harman Burney Burke's 1936 book, Burke's Complete Cocktails And Drinking Recipes, through the help of the internet for the book is not yet in my collection. Burke's recipe appears to be a bit drier than Green Street's but otherwise very similar:
Gin, 1 Jigger
Gum Syrup, 1 Teaspoonful
Absinthe, 1 Dash
Add the White of 1 Egg
Juice of 1 Lime
Ice. 35 Shakes. Strain and serve.
I am not so sure that gum syrup would be noticeable over simple syrup when used with egg whites, since egg whites impart a different order of magnitude for mouthfeel. In the Green Street version, even with two drops, the drink had a good absinthe nose. The Masquerade's flavor was dominated by a dry lime taste with hints of the gin botanicals. The egg served to mellow out the drink quite a bit, although as the drink warmed up, the citrus and gin came more to the forefront.

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