Mixology Monday is a global cocktail party. No it's a cocktail nerd smackdown. Or a collaborative mega blog, perhaps. For April 2011, Spirited Remix hosted MxMo LVI with the theme "Your best." No pressure. Gulp. I'm to select my finest cocktail — one that I've refined and perfected. That I've made a zillion times. Gulp. Gulp.

I've refined the Arrack Attack over countless iterations, at least if you can't count beyond your thumbs. I've made this drink from for some time now, though. It elicits a warm response from the right audience. It's sweet and sour and bitter and savory and even a tiny touch salty all at once. A enthusiast's cocktail, I'd say.

Batavia Arrack von Oosten is not the most accessible member of the rum clan. It's the left-of-center slightly crazy uncle with the funky flavor you can't quite place. And Cynar, oh Cynar, that bittersweet amaro made from artichokes and magic. Together they work. Yes, there's a lot going on. Sip thoughtfully and you can tease apart the layers.

I selected this cocktail for a quarterly foodies group to which I belong. The particular event was covered by the Boston Globe, and there was a photo of me busily shaking up batches of Arrack Attacks. Our hosts prepared a rijsttafel. The Indonesian/Dutch connection of the Arrack was too good to pass up. I hope you enjoy it.

I enjoyed this drink very much, after adding an extra splash of Canton.

I increased the lime a bit, but otherwise I like this, though it took me a few minutes to settle into the bitterness...

This looks amazing - can you substitute the Domaine de Canton with Ginger Syrup?

FYI, rations may be off here.  Fred Yarm over at cocktailvirgin has this at 1/2 oz. of Lairds, and Fred's pretty trustworthy in these matters.  Otherwise, pretty tasty drink with big cinnamon notes from the heavy use of Angostura.

I've got a copy of the recipes from the book and the ratios here are correct - it's 1/4 oz Laird's Bonded, though good luck finding that anymore. Thanks,  Zachary

Zachary, I think a few stores in the US still has Laird's Bonded in stock. K&L being one of them. 

Looks like they have a case left... Thanks for the heads up. Zachary

Drinking this now. Dan, you're not going to like it, I'm afraid. The Herbsaint rinse dominates the nose, but once you're past that, it smells chocolatey... the way a Tootsie Roll smells chocolatey. It's firmly sweet up front with an artificial chocolate flavor (how do you get artificial chocolate out of Cynar + Rye?), and starts to get interesting as the tobacco/bitter flavors of the Cynar take over the finish. 

I think the easy way out might be 3/4 oz of lemon juice. I think something more interesting might be swap the rinse to creme de cassis to try and fix the acidity without acid. 

Smoked salt adds an interesting dimension to this.

I tried this looking for a good application for my walnut liqueur, and like this more than I thought I would. I used Cocchi vermouth, and the result is nutty, with just enough spice and bitterness. I've never tried Dubonnet Rouge, so I'm not sure how much of a departure my version is.

I have to admit that I've never tried this. I have never had Dubonnet. The Cocchi Vermouth di Torino is noticeably sweeter than other vermouths. How was the sweetness? I think I'll give this a try later tonight with Punt e Mes, which sounds pretty darn good.

It was a bit sweet- not overwhelmingly so, but I would have been happy with less. Punt e Mes is probably a better idea, thanks for the suggestion

Thanks for putting me on to this. I made it with Punt e Mes and another 3/4 oz of dry vermouth. Next time, I'll split the vermouth, rather than add more. Very nice drink. I used Nux Alpina, which is pretty strong. 1/4oz was just the right amount. A very nice fall / winter cocktail. Of course it's always raining in Tacoma, so you can enjoy it year round. ;)

I just tried this with Carpano Antica -- the resiny quality goes very nicely with the Noncino. Thanks for posting this!

Revisited tonight- 1.5 calvados, 1 punt e mes, .25 nux alpina, lemon twist. I like this version a lot, and I don't think most would find it too sweet.

The "Manhattan (Bitter)" created by Chris Amirault of eGullet.org is essentially the same as this (more authoritative) cocktail by Phil Ward. Chris's version used two dashes of Angostura Orange bitters in lieu of the regular Angostura bitters, and an orange twist.

A variation that sat nicely with me:

2.25 oz Maker's
.75 oz Cynar
Stir & strain.
Add the following to finish:
2 ds Angostura Orange Bitters
3 ds Peychaud's

I found that adding a couple of dashes of Scrappy's Cardamom Bitters (as well as Angostura) further enhanced the complexity of this drink

I've been making my version of this with the bittermens xocolatl mole bitters - the little bit of chocolate plays to the strengths of this sweeter Manhattan.

I used Jim Beam Black, because of its smoothness and full taste from being aged 8 years. I concur cardamom bitters is a nice touch. So might be black walnut bitters or Fee Bros. Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters. Regardless, I prefer  an orange twist as opposed to orange bitters.I rate this change as 4 stars.

Good, but needs something else - the orange additions might be the way to go.

Curated to add the dash of Regans orange bitters, which appear to be original rather than a variant. Worth noting that while the Washington Post acknowledged bourbon as the original spirit, its preference for rye seems to reach consensus among sources like Imbibe, Punch, Liquor.com, Wine Enthusiast, Difford's, etc.

I have curated to fill out more of the history (with links) and used a Wayback Machine link for the 2008 Washington Post article/recipe. I set the current recipe to the 2008 version that has become the norm, while adding information on the original 2005 recipe in the notes & history.

The proportion seems a bit off on this one. 1:1 led to tasting only absinthe. I tried 2:1 gin to absinthe and was able to taste some of the gin.

Had to try this for the contradictory flavors (all of which are personal favorites), but was highly disappointed. This is more of a combination of ingredients rather than a balanced cocktail. Barely drinkable IMHO.

This sounds interesting. Have not seen Mirto over here so might take some online investigation. Also no directions but I'm assuming shaken over rocks given the amounts, correct?

Thanks for pointing out the lack of directions. I fixed that. Tremontis is the brand of mirto that I can get here in Boston.

I haven't heard if Mirto. What does it taste like? Could I use Cynar instead?

Amy,

Mirto is a Sardinian liqueur based on myrtle berries. It's sort of bitter-sour and resinous, and in a pinch, I'd try 1/2 black currant liqueur, 1/4 gin, and 1/4 dry red wine to get close.

Thanks,

Zachary

Sounds good. I'll try that, thanks!