Smoke ‘Em if You Got ‘Em

Day 149, Cocktail 145

While I still have a few cocktails to report on from my travels last week I wanted to the days count current.  Thus, today is the 149th day of my quixotic quest.

After cutting the grass and other assorted outdoor chores that ended only with darkness, I went down to the Twilight Lounge, turned on the football game and started to thumb through the Ultimate Bar Book for a cocktail for this evening.  I was in the gin section and stumbled upon the Pall Mall.  Interesting name for a cocktail.  It is even perhaps a double entendre when you consider that Kurt Vonnegut,  a Pall Mall smoker, said that they “were a classy way to die”.  Did he mean the drink or the smokes?

Either way, this was a pretty interesting blend of ingredients.  However, the final taste is predictable (those of you who followed my meanderings through the world of peppermint schnapps will immediately know why).

Pall Mall

• 1-1/2 oz gin
• 1/2 oz dry vermouth
• 1/2 oz sweet vermouth
• 1/8 oz clear creme de menthe
• 1 dash Angostura bitters

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with ice.  Shake, shake, shake to combine and chill.  Pour into a chilled cocktail glass.

And…you bet, it tastes like mouthwash.  Just way too much creme de menthe and it overpowers everything else in the glass.  I can almost get a hint of dry vermouth, but barely.

If you like mint, give this a whirl.  Otherwise I suggest lighting a Pall Mall, menthol, of course.

Cheers!