Barnum (Was Right)
Having sat out of the last two Mixology Mondays, I didn’t want to let another pass without at least a nod and a tip of the hat, even though it’s been difficult to find the time because I’ve been traveling like Marco Polo for the last few weeks. All work, unfortunately.
Anyway, gin, you say? Well, even though there are many drinks with gin, this one will need to meet three criteria. It should be tasty or in some way interesting, it has to be new to this blog (I’m going on 50 posts and I’ve written about most of the easy ones), and I’d prefer it to be something relatively unblogged in general.
Digging around in Dr. Cocktail’s excellent Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, I came across the Barnum (Was Right). P.T. Barnum, famous circus entrepreneur, once famously stated that “There’s a fool born every minute,” and you only have to stop and pay attention to what goes on around you to know he was very right.
So that’s the the name. What’s the drink like? Well, I enjoyed it, for what it’s worth. I was looking for worthwhile drinks for my apricot brandy too, so that was a bonus. The gin helps get the sweetness under control, and you can enjoy the taste of the apricot without the cloying stickiness of the brandy, and the flavours combine together well, along with a little citrus bite from the lemon to make it a nicely balanced concoction.
Also, I only found one relatively ancient post by Kaiser Penguin about it, so that’s three out of three for Barnum (Was Right)!
Recipe:
2 oz. Gin
1 oz. Apricot Brandy
1/2 oz. Lemon juice
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Shake well until very cold and serve in a cocktail glass. Garnish with something citrusy.
Notes:
It helps if you use a good fragrant gin, in order to make the drink as complex as possible. Either that or dial back the apricot brandy a little to stop it from overpowering a weaker gin. After all, gin is what it’s all about today.
Rating:
- Unusually pleasant and well balanced.
Check out the rest of this Monday’s contributions at Oh Gosh!
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