In the course of my work I am introduced to many fine adults, and many fine adult beverages. I regard both with the utmost respect, and get to know each with all due expediency -- because y'know, the world could end in five minutes and I'd hate for that to happen without good friends in the room and with a half-finished Negroni in my hand. Homey will not play that, as we used to say during the rule of Clinton the First.
That's what makes Tini Bigs' [0] annual new cocktail tasting, hosted by the bar's owners and resident bon vivants, Keith Robbins and Patrick Haight, such a pleasure to attend. I've missed them for the past two years -- was out of town in 2006, and they didn't hold one in 2007 due to the opening of Tini Bigs' sister bar, Hula Hula [0] -- so this year's tasting found me and several other local media peeps enthusiastic and thirsty. So. Very. Thirsty.
Robbins and Haight produced six new cocktails for us to taste and rate on a card. Before they brought out the first, they told us that A) only five would likely make the menu based on our say-so, and B) we'd get to take a hack at naming one of them. I have already wasted entirely too much time setting up this story, so I'll step aside and let the bartender set 'em up for a change:
The Grapefruitini. Finlandia grapefruit vodka, Campari, Cointreau and orange juice. Despite my love of Campari, this was my least favorite drink of the bunch. The Campari's wonderfully bitter taste was overwhelmed by the OJ and Cointreau, and even with a grapefruit infusion there's no getting around the sad truth that vodka is a largely flavorless spirit -- the joiner of the spirit world: "I'm totally with you guys. Whatever you wanna do is fine." The resulting cocktail tasted more like Hi-C than anything and produced fevered visions of shiny shirts in Pioneer Square nightclubs [0].
The Best Damn Gin & Tonic Tini. Tanqueray, Brazilian quinine powder, lime juice, simple syrup and soda. Robbins and Haight rebounded strongly with this one, which was not only the best cocktail of the night but among the best gin drinks I've ever had. True to its name, this is the gin and tonic built to an ideal. The lime, quinine and simple syrup are in perfect balance, and I don't think I've ever enjoyed Tanqueray as much as I did in this subtle and savory cocktail.
Unnamed minty beverage. Rangpur gin, Finlandia vodka, lime juice, eucalyptus syrup, egg whites and Cointreau. One sip of this drink was enough for me; it tasted vaguely like a Ramos Fizz cut with Hall's Mentho-lyptus. I would have liked more egg white and less mint, but I'll readily admit that minty drinks have never been to my taste. (That said, I have been known to catch colds just so I can enjoy a week of NyQuil.) I suggested the name "The Ionosphere" because it was the first thing that popped into my head after that first and only sip.
Mind the Gap. Pimm's, Hangar Buddha's Hand Citrus, Triple Sec, Pernod and cucumber. This was my second-favorite drink of the night. See those ingredients? That's what the drink tastes like: Every one of those ingredients. After an initial mass showing, the flavors step up one at a time and introduce themselves. This is the very definition of an aperitif [1]; it's an entire plate of appetizers.
The S.O.B. Tini. Sugar, Peychaud bitters, Jack Daniels, absinthe and banana liqueur. It stands for "Sweet Ol' Burt," and it's named for Robbins' late father -- a right gentleman who delighted in testing a bartender's mettle by ordering a Sazerac [2]. (He kept the recipe in his pocket in case he managed to stump them.) Despite the confusion of flavors, this drink comes off pretty well -- the bourbon more or less dominates the mix, while the Peychaud's and banana drift in and out of recognition, like memories. Don't get your hopes up on the absinthe, Hemingway -- this is the legal stuff, made without thujone.
The Cock & Bull Tini. Cockspur rum, Don P/X port, bitters and blood-orange bitters. If you like a good Cuba Libre -- a real Cuba Libre [3], not just a cup of Captain Morgan with Coca-Cola added for color -- then you'll enjoy this one. It's got something of a sweet cola flavor at first taste, but it quickly resolves into something more smoky and earthy. It's a fine vehicle for Cockspur, a Barbados-made gold rum, and I'd suggest to Robbins and Haight that if it doesn't make the menu at Tini Bigs, they could make a killing pouring them at their tiki bar [3] next door.
While I'm making suggestions, I'd like for Robbins and Haight to consider having these tastings more often. Much, much more often. I'm free early Friday night.
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