Legitimate? No. Delicious? Yes. September 21, 2009 at 12:53 pm
I almost feel ashamed that this is going to be the first cocktail post I’m writing.
I say that partially because I’ve been experimenting with cocktails for a while now, and up until now haven’t had the guts to put it out here on the intertubes. But now that I won’t catch hell for posting about my interactions with alcohol, I figure I’ve got nothing to lose.
I’m also ashamed that this is going to be the first cocktail I post because, well, to be honest, I’m ashamed to drink it.
A little background: the other night, my friends invited me to dinner at their place. They were cooking, so I felt obligated to bring some sort of dessert. As I was walking around the local supermarket, I happened upon the foreign foods section, which for some reason was filled completely with Caribbean goods. I don’t mind this all that much because I love Caribbean food. Anyways, I happened upon a can of something called Irish Moss Peanut Drink. Intrigued, I bought a can. I tried it, and wouldn’t you know it, it tasted like peanuts! This, combined with the fact that I had just finished building a bar at my friend’s house, got me thinking. Could I somehow incorporate this peanut-y drink into some sort of delicious desert/drink hybrid? It would spare me the time of actually cooking dessert, and I could get an opportunity to use my new, lovingly crafted bar! The result, after some thinking and a decent amount of experimentation, is The Reese’s Cocktail:
Photo by Nirav Sanghani's iPhone.
The Reese’s Cocktail
1 oz Vodka
0.5 oz Kahlua
1 oz milk
1.5 oz chocolate syrup
2 oz Irish Moss Peanut Drink
Shake with ice until cold and the chocolate syrup has blended. Serve in a cocktail glass with half a Reese’s cup for garnish.
So… yeah… This drink sort of feels like something that you’d order at a TGI Fridays or a Uno’s Pizzeria, and I’m not entirely sure what to think about that. On the one hand, I know it’s delicious. The Kahlua gives some complexity to the chocolate flavor, and lets it blend with the peanut drink better. On the other hand, it’s… you know… commercial. Something doesn’t feel quite right about the whole thing. It’s like I’ve taken one of the arts I appreciate the most, and just let it become a parody of itself. I feel like Kurt Cobain, except I’m not nearly as famous and can’t write music for my life.
Can I at least get some props for coming up with the concept in line at the supermarket? No? Fine. I’ll see you at Chili’s.
