101 Best New Cocktails: Monkey Business by David Valiante, The Exhibition Room, Long Beach, CA, USA
Monkey Business
David Valiante, The Exhibition Room, Long Beach, CA, USA
“I wanted to do a scotch banana cocktail on my spring menu, and what better opinion than Monkey Shoulder. The banana, ginger, and cinnamon give the scotch & sherry a great Caribbean feel. A fun play on words as well with Monkey & Bananas.” David Valiante
45 ml (1.5 oz) Monkey Shoulder scotch whisky
22.5 ml (.75 oz) Alvear amontillado sherry
22.5 ml (.75 oz) Giffard Banane du Bresil liqueur
15 ml (.5 oz) Ginger Syrup*
7.5 ml (.25 oz) Cinnamon Syrup (2:1)**
22.5 ml (.75 oz) fresh lemon juice
2 dashes Bittercube Jamaican #2 bitters
Freshly grated cinnamon, as garnish
Laphroaig, as mist
Shake all ingredients over ice and double-strain into a chilled double old-fashioned glass with one large ice cube. Top with a fresh cinnamon grate and 2 to 3 Laphroaig mists.
*Ginger Syrup: Bring 480 ml (2 cups) ginger juice, 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar, 1 clove, and 1 allspice berry to a soft boil in a heavy pot. Boil until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 1 to 2 hours. Strain and store in the refrigerator.
**Cinnamon Syrup (2:1): Bring 450 g (1 lb) granulated sugar, 240 ml (1 cup) water, and 1 large cinnamon stick to a soft boil in a heavy pot. Boil until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 1 to 2 hours. Strain and store in the refrigerator.
gaz sez: I have no problem declaring this to be one of the finest, and most-fun quaffs that I’ve had for a long time, and some of this is due to the Laphroaig mist, I believe. Nonetheless, the nuts and bolts of this drink have been deftly tightened by David, and the result is a delightful scotch-based drink that everyone, or at least most folk with a modicum of taste, can enjoy.
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