Craft Cocktail Recipe: Rye Mendoza

I’ve been experimenting with a few cocktail recipes as a way to use some of the excess alcohol in my bar. OK maybe that’s not the best way to frame this but in truth there are some bottles that I prefer a lot more than others. That means those ‘others’ hang around in a semi-orphaned state. Here’s one example that turned out pretty well. I suggest you try it with some booze that closely matches what I’ve assembled, then do some of your own experimenting to get things to fit your own taste.

At this point I understand my taste preferences in alcoholic beverages fairly well. Mixed drinks should be strong and have just enough sweetness to keep me interested but not so much as to give me a sugar rush. This one fits that bill perfectly. The shame of it is that I’m unlikely to actually make the exact recipe again because, as I said up front, these are orphan bottles. But that means I can have plenty of fun trying the next batch with a whole new set of mixes.

Here it is – the Rye Mendoze (you’ll get the reason for the name soon enough)

The portions make enough for about 4 full highballs

• 8 oz Templeton Rye – Small Batch
• 1.5 oz Taylor Fladgate Tawny Port
• 1.5 oz Cardenal Mendoza Brandy De Jerez Solera Gran Reserve
• 2 oz Triple Sec

Mix with 2 ice cubes and shake

Pour in hiball glasses with ice