Thursday's Child - an Original Mezcal & Singani Cocktail Inspired by Eartha Kitt
This is an original drink inspired by Eartha Kitt. It’s made with Mezcal, Singani, Cocchi Americano, White Grapefruit, Absinthe rinse and a Maraschino Cherry for garnish. The recipe started off as a riff on a Corpse Reviver #2 ( • Corpse Reviver #2 - A Cocktail Design... ), but through a lot of trial and error it ended up back closer to the starting line, only with components swapped out.
I originally wanted to come up with a pun that would act as a tip of the cap to the drink’s Corpse Reviver roots, but the name I privately used to refer to the drink was “Earthy Kitt” because the flavor profile was so earthy. The Eartha Kitt angle stuck with me. I was reading her first book, a memoir chronicling her childhood through young adulthood, which might of had something to do with it being on my mind. The book was called, Thursday’s Child, which was an allusion to a children’s nursery rhyme that predicted a child’s fate based on the day of the week that child was born. A child born on Thursday is supposed to go far.
That is a modest way to put it in Eartha’s case. She started about as far from where she ended up as you can get. She was born into poverty in the cotton fields of South Carolina. She was abandoned by her mother and through informal adoptions, bounced around different, abusive care givers. Then at 15, through happenstance, she auditioned for a dance studio, won a scholarship and began a career that would lead her to be a dancer, singer, actor, writer, sex symbol, activist, leader and a superhero. All this and more was captured by Orson Welles when he dubbed her “he most exciting woman in the world.”
The drink is meant as a modest nod this exciting Thursday’s Child, if only as a pun for its flavor profile. The base is split between Mezcal and Singani, which are spirits that allied so well in the Faceless Man ( • Faceless Man - a Game of Thrones Cock... ). Only, in this one, the mezcal is meant to be sin humo (without smoke), one that puts more of an emphasis on the earthy and vegetal flavors instead of the smoky mesquite.
Singani, for those who are unfamiliar with it, is an eau de vie from the Bolivian Andes that tastes and acts like a fruitier, more floral and more intense Pisco. If you’re dying to make this drink and can’t get a hold of Singani, you can get the ballpark by subbing in Pisco. Just keep in mind that it’s similar, but not the same. Singani is like Pisco…but turned up to 11.
As for the grapefruit, I like it best with white grapefruit, which is a little more mild than pink and a lot more mild than red grapefruit. Pink will do in a pinch, but ideally you’ll wanna use White Grapefruit in this one. Either way, the key is to juice it fresh. It should go without saying, but unlike some other citrus, where you can kinda get away with it, after a couple days, grapefruit really starts to develop a bitterness that ends up killing the drink.
For the Kina, you want to use Cocchi Americano. Since the advent of the Cocktail Renaissance we are currently enjoying, Cocchi has become a common replacement for the original Kina Lillet (that has not been made in decades) in James Bond’s Martini variation, the Vesper ( • The Vesper - The Cocktail James Bond ... ). However, if all you have on hand is Lillet Blanc, I’d suggest adding a barspoon of Tonic Syrup. This will help bring back the right level of bitterness to the modern formula of Lillet.
Because this drink uses citrus juice, conventional wisdom dictates that it should be shaken, not stirred. But shaking it aerates the drink and I prefer the silky, sensuous texture you get when the drink is stirred. Which, for this drink, creates the purrfect mouthfeel. Enjoy!
Recipe:
0.75 oz (22 ml) Mezcal (non-smoky)
0.75 oz (22 ml) Singani
0.75 oz (22 ml) Cocchi Americano
0.75 oz (22 ml) Grapefruit Juice
rinse Absinthe
garnish Maraschino Cherry
Stir with ice. Strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a Cherry.
Music:
Got That Feeling by Peter Sandberg
via Epidemic Sound
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Featured in this Episode:
Banhez Mezcal
http://bit.ly/2SgoZ1T
Singani 63
http://bit.ly/2p057ns
Cocchi Americano
http://bit.ly/2V8WR2z
Copper & Kings Absinthe
http://bit.ly/2pTFT8b
Maraschino Cherries
https://amzn.to/2Rd5Y39
Thursday's Child by Eartha Kitt
https://amzn.to/2CvRK5i
Tonic Syrup
https://amzn.to/2RcGvqF
Bar Tools:
Nick & Nora Glass
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OXO Measuring Cup (2 oz)
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Beachbum Berry Skull Barspoon (Gunmetal Black)
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Julep Strainer
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Mixing Glass
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Fine Mesh Strainer
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Cuisinart Citrus Juicer
http://amzn.to/2ujQkFf
