Whilst Christmas may be long over, we’re still in the midst of winter here at MoM HQ, and in desperate need of a little warmth! We’ve hooked up with several cocktail/drinks experts to come up with the ultimate winter cocktails using our 8 Year Old Blend and our new cask-aged Whisky Bitters.
To kick-start this little mini-series we’re featuring a delightful concoction, created by Neil Ridley – whisky writer off of that CaskStrength.net, spirits and music buff, and all round dapper chap.
[<— Here’s Neil in action]
Making the Spiced Apple Blazer
by Neil Ridley
Hello chaps, hope all is well.
Been tinkering away at home today and I have the cocktail. It’s too easy to mask everything, which is what I did with my previous attempts, so I thought… Let’s let the sparse ingredients sing for themselves.
It’s warming, spicy and really drinkable:
Ingredients
– 50ml Master of Malt 8 Year Old Blended Whisky
– 1 tspn Granulated Vanilla Sugar
– 10 Drops Master of Malt Cask-Aged Whisky Bitters
– 30ml Good Quality Dry Cider
– Lemon zest
Method
In a small copper pan (or copper tot, as I used), gently warm 50ml of MOM 8yo Blended whisky over the stove, or with a kitchen torch.
Add to a brandy snifter placed over a tumbler.
Next take a teaspoon of granulated vanilla sugar (mine is homemade, just with a couple of vanilla pods left to infuse for a several weeks) and drop 8 drops of MOM whisky bitters dripped onto the top.
Ignite the whisky in the snifter and gently add the teaspoon. The flame instantly starts to caramelise the sugar, which drips into the whisky, imparting its spicy passenger!
Slowly revolve the glass around till the sugar has dissolved. The flame you get is fab…
Extinguish the flame (not with your hand!) and toss in a small piece of expressed lemon zest.
Next add 30ml of slightly warmed, good quality dry cider (I used Weston’s 2009 vintage) Swirl the lot a few times, then pour into a warmed Glencairn glass, omitting the lemon zest.
Finally add a further 2 drops of the whisky bitters, swirl and enjoy.
The whisky gives a creamy, fruity character (see my notes below), the cider a slightly dry, but fruity apple bite, the bitters the warming spice and the lemon a tang. It’s the ultimate spiced dram… 😉
I’m actually surprised at just how good the integration is between the ingredients. The whisky is a sensational base, the bitters not too over powering, but perfectly spiced, also helping to bring out the vanilla note in the sugar. And the lemon zest tang, a perfect top note.
Here’s the notes for the whisky:
Master Of Malt- 8yo Blended Whisky- 40%
Nose: Very creamy, with slight banana notes, coconut milk, a hint of floral soap, and a touch of white pepper and lemon zest.
Palate: An initial fruitiness hits you, with refreshing tropical fruit notes (I’m thinking Scapa??), followed by evaporated milk, further notes of coconut and cereal. The grain influence gives a clean, fresh notes and is well balanced.
Finish: A hint of the floral soap and a lingering cereal note is left on the palate as it dries.
Overall: A delicate blend, displaying fruit, florals and cream in abundance, with fresh zesty overtones. It works sooooo well in the cocktail above!!
Keep watching this space for the next winter warmer…
The Chaps at Master of Malt
