Spring is here, kind of, and bartenders around town are starting to put some spring in their cocktails.
Word Play, a new cocktail at Birroteca, tastes like early spring, which is to say a little variable. The primary taste is sour cherry, but there are myriad taste notes, including gin botanicals like juniper, coriander and citrus peel and a complex herb package from green chartreuse. And there's the aroma, and the gentle taste of fresh rosemary.
It's complex but easy to take, and I found it to be a good accompaniment for Birroteca's hearty Italian fare. It held up just fine to a hearty bowl of wild boar Bolognese, which is seasoned with rosemary.
Birroteca head bartender Nick Ramey likes to muddle fresh herbs like rosemary in his spring and summer cocktails. He also is a big fan of shrubs, which is the confounding name for the category of vinegar-based syrups that mixologists have been enamored with for the past few years.
Word Play is Ramey's adaptation of a classic cocktail called the Last Word, which uses equal parts gin, green chartreuse, maraschino liqueur and lime juice.
"We do a variety of different seasonal house-made shrubs, and I thought that a sour cherry-lime shrub would be a nice twist to the classic maraschino liqueur and lime juice," Ramey wrote in an email. "Shrubs can help to add a bit of depth to a cocktail, and the acidity helps to refresh the palate. Then I thought we would switch it up a bit more by serving it on the rocks, allowing a nice rosemary sprig garnish, which gives off great aromatics as you sip on the drink."
Word Play was Birroteca's official entry in a cocktail competition that was part of the recently concluded Baltimore Cocktail Week. Throughout the week, participating restaurants were donating $1 from the sale of their signature cocktail to the charity of their choice.
Ramey said Word Play has been a hit with Birroteca customers, and he plans on keeping it on the cocktail menu for a while.
That's a wise decision.
How to make the Word Play
1 1/4 oz. Edinburgh gin
3/4 oz. green chartreuse
3/4 oz. sour cherry-lime shrub
Rosemary for muddling and garnish
In a cocktail shaker, muddle half a sprig of rosemary with the sour cherry-lime shrub. Add the chartreuse and gin. Shake vigorously to chill. Discard ice and strain the cocktail into the a chilled coupe glass. Garnish the cocktail with a fresh sprig of rosemary.
Sour cherry-lime shrub
1 part cherry juice
1 part lime juice
1 part white vinegar
2 parts simple syrup
Where to get the Word Play
Birroteca
1520 Clipper Road, Jones Falls Area
443-708-1934
bmorebirroteca.com
$11