Hey Rum fans, welcome back to the Blog. Today, we're going to look at the Merciless Virgin Cocktail. I've taken my recipe from Smugglers Cove. And Martin Cate in turn, has adapted the recipe from the original, which was created by Frank Skipper Kent, for the Skipper Kent Bar in San Francisco. At face value, this should be a cocktail that is right up my street. Cherry, Falernum, and Orange...some of my favourite ingredients.
Merciless Virgin Recipe;
Glass; Footed Pilsner
Method; Flash Blend
Garnish; 3 Maraschino Cherries on a Stick
Ingredients;
22.5ml Lemon Juice
15ml Seltzer Water
15ml Cherry Heering
45ml Doorlys 3yo 47%
12oz Crushed Ice
4-6 Agitator Cubes
After making this Cocktail, while it did taste good, it wasn't at WOW levels for me. Just a mediocre but decent Cocktail. So, I set about playing and breaking it down.
Breakdown 1;
Adding an extra 7.5ml Velvet Falernum
The result. Much Better, but still not fantastic. The extra sweetness did help to balance it out slightly for my personal palate. But still needed more.
Breakdown 2;
Adding a Dash of Angostura Bitters
The Result. Now, this was a lot better. The extra bump in spice added a bit of body and complexity that i really liked. Was the Cocktail now WOW?! No. But much better.
Breakdown 3;
Going back to the original recipe and playing with the Rums.
The Rums I chose to swap in were Veritas/Probitas, El Dorado 12yo, Bacardi 4yo, Chairmans Reserve Legacy and Plantation Xaymaca.
In the second round, I then played with Flor De Cana 12, Plantation Barbados 5yo and Don Q 7yo.
After both rounds of Rum swaps, I found that for my own palate, i definitely preferred lighter Column Still Rum. The Xaymaca, and Chairmans Legacy were too much. The El Dorado 12 was pretty decent. But none really competed with Bacardi 4yo and Don Q 7. These were my 2 out and out favourites. And made this Cocktail a lot better to the point where I'd actually order a second one if I was out out!
Overall Winner;
But purely on Price, the Bacardi 4yo Wins it. Its a really good Cocktail Mixing Rum at a fantastic Price.