Tuesday, February 20, 2018

super mutant

1 oz Rhum Clement Select Aged Rhum Agricole
1 oz Lustau Fino Sherry
1 oz Green Chartreuse
1 sprig Rosemary

In one rocks glass, build the rhum agricole and sherry. In a second rocks glass, add the Chartreuse and rosemary; ignite the Chartreuse and let it burn for 30 seconds. Meanwhile, add ice to the first rocks glass and begin to stir. Extinguish the fire in the second rocks glass, strain the burnt rosemary-infused Chartreuse into the first glass containing rhum, sherry, and ice, and stir for a bit more.
Two Tuesdays ago, I ventured down to Union Square, Somerville, to catch the return of Luc Thiers at Backbar. Sadly, he was not returning as a full-time staff member but merely as an alumni and guest bartender for the night as his bar in Rochester, the supernatural-themed Spirits Room, keeps him quite busy. For his guest shift, he brought with him a whole menu based off of the video game Fallout, and he even dressed up as Pip-Boy for the occasion. The drink I selected was the Super Mutant named after the oversized virally-infected humans in the video game.
Luc mentioned that the drink was based off of a Scotch Bijou drink that he once did, but the Chartreuse-burning rosemary part reminded me of the Rubicon and to some degree the Rosemary's Baby where the herb was ignited via Grand Marnier instead. The Chartreuse fire in a second glass also reminded me of the Drink duo Krakatoa and Super Nova. Once prepared, this rhum Bijou of sorts proffered grassy aromas from the agricole that melded into the Chartreuse's herbal. Next, the Fino's white wine was boosted to semi-dryness from the Chartreuse's sugar content on the sip, and the swallow was similar to the nose with grassy flavors transitioning into Chartreuse with the rosemary coming through on the finish. As the ice melted a bit, the drink got less sweet and the Fino began to shine through more and turn things more savory.

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