Story:
This drink is kind of a trickster. It comes at you like one of our usual bourbon
cocktails – perfumed with orange and a sweet bourbon scent mixed with
amaro. The first taste keeps the charade
going for a moment, then the flavor parts and you encounter the nutty, oaky,
earthy flavor of the sherry. (There is apparently a lot to know about sherry.) That
foundation stays with you while the bourbon cocktail flavor makes another
appearance, and long afterward. The
first taste surprised me before I knew what to expect. I’d like another one right now.
This drink was invented by Jeff Lyon at the Third Rail in
San Francisco, which is a cocktail bar that also serves jerky. (Here is a low-quality video of Jeff making a Bone Machine.) I was mildly disappointed
to learn that it’s just named after a Tom Waits album.
Recipe:
1.5 oz dry sherry (the original was oloroso sherry; I used the similar amontillado sherry)
1.0 oz bourbon
0.25 oz Benedictine
0.5 oz Amaro Nonino
2 dashes orange bitters, 1 dash angostura bitters
-add all ingredients to mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled
-strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice
-express orange twist over the drink and drop it in
All these years I thought sherry was just for poncy psychotherapists, and to be served in little sherry glasses. I didn't know you could put it in a cocktail! This is great. Very orange-forward at first, then...something new. Adding sherry to my shopping list now so I can both try it on its own and make another one of these boner drinks! (I just hope Siri doesn't send me to the pet supply aisle to find it...)
ReplyDeleteThe sherry was definitely a welcome discovery. I thought it was just for making cheese fondue and for luring one's nemesis into a basement (that's Poe reference number two, which I think is enough).
ReplyDeleteSo I got the sherry and I'm not a fan. (One might say, "It was NOT great.") Especially knowing what it *can* be in this drink. This has been my go to post UGM cocktail this week. I mixed up a Bone Machine, put my Exogen bone stimulator machine on my foot, and watch the DNC every night!
ReplyDeleteI haven't actually tried the sherry on its own, which I'm a little embarrassed about. I like to try all of the ingredients separately to learn what they're about. Sounds like the best use of it is in the Bone Machine.
ReplyDelete