Drink of the Day: Zabao Cocktail
Let’s open this long weekend out right with a cocktail that has a very interesting combination of ingredients.
Many people look at dry vermouth and only see something that gets in the way of the other ingredients behind the bar. Even gin martini drinkers tend to shun away from this ingredients when making this cocktail. A shame people aren’t giving this item its due diligence. Used the correct way and with the right measurements, dry vermouth does very well in complimenting other ingredients, taking the too sweet or sour flavors and toning them down, rounding them out, to blend better with the others. One thing I see a lot of when mixed drinks are prepared is that many people go either too strong with the main liquor, bringing its flavor out to the point of questioning why they are even putting anything else in the drink, or too weak, building the cocktail with too much of the wash and secondary ingredients where the flavor of the main ingredient gets lost.
You should keep to this mindset when preparing drinks: Use the main ingredient as the foundation of the cocktail, trying to add just enough other parts to compliment the best that the main ingredient has to offer. There are so many flavor notes hiding in spirits due to trying to get around the “bite” while imbibing. Just losing this characteristic of any liquor gives you flavors that you will miss if you go too extreme with your mixing. All I ask is to give the booze portion of the cocktail a chance to prove it’s worth to the cocktail. You will be amazed with the flavor from your end result. Remember: You can always add to a drink, not take things out.
The Zabao uses dry vermouth, as I had mentioned earlier. This ingredient is the most important part of this cocktail because of the role it plays by rounding out the other ingredients. It’s overall effect gives it a nice finish and will have you questioning why this ingredient isn’t used more often.
Enjoy your long weekend, and remember why we have this extra day off. Be sure to toast the men and women who lost their lives to protect us and so we can live in a free society. Enjoy your Saturday! Cheers!
1 1/2 oz. White Rum
1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth
1 oz. Pineapple Juice
Splash of Grenadine
Method: Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice. Cap and shake to blend. Strain into an old fashioned glass filled with ice.
This Day in History:
1830 - The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad started the first passenger railroad service in the United States.
1873 - The Northwest Mounted Police Force was founded in Canada. It would later become the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
1934 - Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were killed in a police ambush.
1945 - Heinrich Himmler, head of Adolf Hitler’s Gestapo, committed suicide while in prison.
Notable Birthday:
Singer/songwriter, Jewel was born on this date in 1974.
Notable Quote:
“Never give a sword to a man that can’t dance.” - Confucius
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Category: Drink of the Day
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