Velvet Devil

COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS:
- 30 ml Rye Whiskey
(Preferably Stauning)
- 10 ml Brown Creme de Cacao
- 22,5 ml Riga Black Balsam Black Currant
- 15 ml Fresh Lemon Juice
- 15 ml Home-Made Lemon Cordial
- 15 ml Egg White

GARNISH:
- Skewered Cherry
- Lemon Twist

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker.
• Dry shake to emulsify the egg whites.
• Add ice and shake until chilled.
• Strain into a cocktail glass over block of ice.
• Express lemon peel oils over the cocktail.
• Garnish with a skewered cherry and a lemon twist.

I have been experimenting with Stauning whisky for quite a while now. This is my latest creation in what is becoming a long line of cocktails with this amazing whisky.

I started building this cocktail around peppery oak and nutty chocolate notes of the rye whisky. I decided to emphasize the more indulgent chocolate taste with dark chocolate notes of brown crème de cacao, then further expand the deeper flavours with addition of Riga Black Balsam Currant. It brought complex botanical dimension with gentle sweetness of black currant, reminiscent of Bourbon Renewal, pairing great with whisky and the cacao. At this point the cocktail was relatively sweet and heavy. I balanced it with a bit of lemon juice to start with, which worked quite well. However, later I decided to split it equally between lemon juice and some home-made lemon cordial, which I had lying around in the fridge. This combination worked so much better. Not only balancing the cocktail with tartness, but also utilizing the fragrance of lemon peel oils extracted via oleo saccharum in the lemon cordial. Finally, addition of egg whites, added that familiar smooth foam texture that simply elevates drinking experience.

Velvet Devil might not be the best-looking cocktail I have ever made, but it is amazingly smooth and delicious, the kind of cocktail I would make for my friends who are not yet on board with whisky forward cocktails. So, give it a try if you a have a chance.