Boozy McGuzzles

Here’s a new feature for the Boozy McGuzzles brand: cocktail recipes! Reviews of the stand-alone ingredients of this drink will be forthcoming, but until then, won’t you please allow me to introduce you to:

Angel’s Hope

Ingredients
1 part gin
1 part calvados
1 part orange liqueur

For this drink, I used Hendrick’s Gin, Christian Drouain Calvados, and Grand Marnier. In an earlier incarnation I also tried a cheaper triple sec, and found it somewhat cheapened the overall drink. It’s entirely true: quality components make for a quality cocktail.

In a shaker filled with ice, combine all ingredients. Shake well, then strain into a cocktail glass. Enjoy! This drink is a lovely balance of spicy and sweet, and with Hendrick’s in particular, has a wonderful floral undernote.

BOOZE TYPE: Liqueur
Price: $11.99 at Astor Center
Rating: A

I do not think I have ever, in my entire life, spelled the word “liqueur” right on the first try. So I warn for this entry: beware of falling q’s, u’s, and e’s.

Mathilde Poires Liqueur is a little too heavy and sweet for me to enjoy on its own, except for in the tiniest of sips. It’s thick and syrupy, but not quite cloying, and has a really true pear taste. What do I do with it? Well, going with the theme that I am not always the classiest of drinkers, I have, in the past, spent a couple of lost weekends with a box of chardonnay, sassing it up with sprinkles of Mathilde Poires, or Mathilde Framboise (and I think at least once I found a bottle of Mathilde Pêche). The combination turns mediocre wine into something a little more fun.

An even better combination is Mathilde Poires with something a little more bubbly. Recently I had another few bottles of the Reserva Ora Cavas Hill Blanc de Blancs Cava with the Poires mixed in, and that was a fine combination indeed. Since the bubbly itself had little in the way of sweetness, the resulting cocktail was very refreshing and perfectly sweet.

I could also envision Mathilde Poires mixed with something more neutral, like soda water, and of course, the classic indulgence: drizzled over ice cream. Mmmm.

BUY IT AGAIN: Yes, for a lovely sweet treat.