(Cocktail recipe) The Chinese

1 1/2 oz Jamaica rum
1 tsp triple sec
1 tsp maraschino liqueur
1 tbsp grenadine syrup
1 dash bitters

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes. Shake well, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.

Lately I've been giving Chris various reprints of old bar books (and by reprints, I mean someone dismantled the old books and scanned, then printed them) for birthdays and Christmas.  Occasionally I'll dig through them to find something interesting.  My most recent discovery was the Chinese, so named for its color - it looks like traditional red Chinese lacquer.  It's not overly sweet, but is very balanced, and it's all booze...so drink carefully!



(Chris's Note) The Jamaica Rum that this recipe calls for is a style of rum, not necessarily rum from Jamaica.  Unfortunately, like many old liquors and liqueurs that are no longer produced we're not really sure what it tasted like.  The best approximation we can deduce is a dark Navy rum (Cruzan Black Strap, Goslings Black Seal, Kracken) mixed with a gold rum.  In order to achieve this easily I would increase the Rum to 1/1 oz pour.  You may need to adjust the triple sec, bitters, and Maraschino accordingly by teaspoon to balance the rum you chose to use.  The finished product should taste completely smooth and balanced when it hits the tongue like a fine Chinese Lacquer finish.

(Review) Borsao Red Wine 2008 (Bodegas Borsao Spain)

Mystique: 1-10 points
Score: 2
never heard of it extra point for Spain, I like Spanish wines

Color: 1-10 points
Score: 8
nice ruby red with good legs

Scent: 1-10 points
Score: 7
average dry wine grape smell

Initial Impression: 1-10 points
Score: 7
Unassuming Abstract art in dark colors on the bottle

Feel: 1-10 points
Score 6
unimpressive standard wine consistency

Taste: 1-10 x 4 points
Score: 28
smooth slightly dry with a lot of tannin

Raw Score Total: 56 points

Bonus Points: 1-10
Value 1-10 points
Score 9
$8.99 a bottle

Total Score: 65 points

I had never heard of this wine. It was recommended to me by one of the Sommeliers at the fancy wine store I go to based on my liking of a similar Portuguese red table wine. I like wine, but I'm no connoisseur. I generally look for something that tastes good with food and is fairly inexpensive. This was surprisingly enjoyable. It had an even, smooth taste that was a little dry but not too dry. It would pair perfect with red meat or pizza. It's fairly average as red table wines go, fine with dinner and that's about it. I didn't enjoy it as much as other wines I have had in it’s class, but I bet I could make a pretty good sangria out of it.