The Great Silence
Place all ingredients into shaker filled with ice- shake for 10-15 seconds then strain into a Coupe- garnish with a Lemon Twist.
- Good one - try it with a comparison aperol split
- pretty drink, but was a bit off. Made as described except rye, which I used Stagg 132 proof. Maybe that was the issue, but I think there are other challenges. Remixed with .5 campari, a bit better.
- Candy-ish Rye Whiskey
- Bourbon Cocktail — Bourbon, Bénédictine, Triple sec, Bitters, Lemon peel, Lemon juice
- War Cobra — Bourbon, Reposado Tequila, Triple sec, Cardamom bitters, Absinthe, Demerara syrup, Lemon juice
- Bourbon Crusta — Bourbon, Triple sec, Maraschino Liqueur, Orange bitters, Lemon juice, Orange peel
- Chelsea Manning — Bourbon, Demerara Rum, Bitters, Lime juice, Orange marmalade, Demerara syrup
- Tequila Sage Smash — Añejo tequila, Lemon, Honey syrup, Sage
Tried this with Bulleit, as it was the only rye I had around. I had everything else around (Aperol, Luxardo, well absinthe) so figued I'd take a stab. My guess is the drink requires the specified rye. It was a very confused drink as I made and tasted it. Somewhere between candy sweet and just too complex. I finished it no problem, so it's drinkable... but I don't see myself making it again.
Given this drink's ingredients, I decided to make "The Great Silence" despite the earlier critical comments. Instead, I used those comments, and modified both the ingredients and the amount of certain ingredients. I used a "fat" 1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse rye (100 proof) instead of the Bulliet rye (90 proof). I, too, did not have the High West double rye, but I think my modificiation was a reasonable approximation--other than adding 2 oz of Rittenhouse rye. Also, I reduced the Aperol to 1/2 oz, but added 1/4 oz Campari to make the libation less sweet and to add some body to it. Finally, I added a "skinny" 1/2 oz lime juice (personal taste), for the absinthe I used St. George's Absinthe Verte. The result was a decent drink that I rate at 3.5.
In the future, lacking the specified double rye, I will use a full 2 oz Rittenhouse rye, and 1/2 oz Campari, and 1/4 oz Aperol. I wiill stay with the "skinny" 1/2 oz lime juice. Perhaps these changes will nudge the rating closer to 4.0. My hunch is that even using the High West double rye, the best rating will be 4.0. Will I ever know? I doubt it!
Making the changes I suggested in my prior comment, the resulting libation can easily be rated between 3.5 and 4.0, depending on the taster's preferences. Personally, I rate the modified "The Great Silence" at 3.8. How would you rate the original recipe vs my final modifications? I would be interested. Cheers!