Mon Cherry
COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS:
- 30 ml Etter Zuger Kirsch Vieux & Noble AOP
(cherry brandy)
- 22,5 ml Fresh Lemon Juice
- 22,5 ml White Creme de Cacao
- 10 ml Simple Syrup
- 5 ml Home-made Rose Pepper Bitters
- Absinthe for glass rinse / approx. 3-4 ml
GARNISH:
- Cherry
INSTRUCTIONS:
• Rinse a chilled cocktail glass with absinthe.
• Combine Etter (cherry brandy), lemon juice, creme de cacao and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker.
• Add ice and shake until chilled.
• Double strain into a prepared cocktail glass.
• Float the homemade pepper vodka/bitters on top.
• Garnish with a skewered cherry.
Last summer on my way back home from the holiday in Switzerland I noticed an interestingly looking bottle at the airport shop called Etter. It immediately attracted my attention, so I grabbed one right before boarding the airplane. Once I got back home I studied this amazing cherry Eau de Vie and simply had to try and make a cocktail for it. So here is the result – Mon Cherry.
I started building this cocktail around the idea of cherry flavor pairing with chocolate. Combining aromatic mild cherry notes of Etter with chocolate taste of white crème de cacao and a slight hint of aniseed brought by absinthe. To give the cocktail a little pep to its step I used a little bit of lemon juice, finely balanced by a touch of simple syrup. The combination was tasty enough, but seemed to be missing something. At that moment I remembered one of my previous experiments. A bitter made from rose pepper, chestnut blossoms, elderflower blossoms and greater celandine herbs. The distinctive pepperiness of these bitters brought exactly what I was looking for to the mix, bringing this creation of mine to life.
It is one of the more unusual cocktails I have created, but perhaps one of the most subtle. Many cocktails have a little leeway regarding quantities, but while working on this one, I have noticed that it is not the most forgiving one. Some of the ingredients, such as bitters and absinthe have to be just right or it will throw balance of the cocktail completely off. Luckily after a lot of trying I finally landed on the specs that work and taste great. I hope you will enjoy it.