MxMo: Limit One -- Mahjongg Cocktail
Upon reading the theme for this Mixology Monday, I drew a blank. The only recipe I know well that fit the bill was the Mai Tai, which I really love to make. But it seems like MxMo should be an encouragement to try something new, and I certainly didn't want to fall into the newbie trap of sticking with the tried and true. Thinking this might be a good time to try a new tiki drink, I searched around a bit, but most that initially appealed required drams and juices I didn't have close at hand.
In the meantime, I've continued working through Good Spirits by A. J. Rathbun. On Friday, I stumbled upon the Mahjongg cocktail. At 4 parts gin to 1 part rum and 1 part Cointreau, it seemed a little gin heavy, even to me, so I checked the CocktailDB 1, which suggested a milder 3:1:1, which I tried. I left out the optional lemon twist, as well. The resulting drink was nice, but not much more.
Tonight I did some additional searching for drinks that might fit the bill, when I decided to revisit the Mahjongg. I checked a few more sites, all of which seemed to agree with Rathbun's 4:1:1. Even with the CocktailDB's recipe, it met the requirement (nothin' but 80 proof plus spirits, after all!). But if I upped to Rathbun's recipe, I hit the 3 ounces, to boot. So I mixed the drink up again. This time, I included the lemon twist, as well. I ignored Rathbun's recommendation to shake instead of stir (he has you shake your martini and manhattan, fer cryin' out loud!).
Much to my surprise, this was a much more balanced drink. I know the lemon twist added that extra special something, but contrary to my fears, the higher ratio of gin make the drink smoother. Not sure if that's because of the Aviation in particular, but I'll definitely look to making the Mahjongg with this recipe in the future. Just not tonight. Already had my limit of one.
Mahjongg Cocktail
2 oz gin (Aviation, 84 proof)
1/2 oz white rum (Appleton White, 80 proof)
1/2 oz Cointreau (Harlequin Orange Liqueur, 80 proof)
Stir in mixing glass with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist
--
[1] let me take this chance to promote my firefox search plugins: go to http://www.stevideter.com/cocktaildb.html to learn more.