Union Club
My quest for Campari-based nirvana continues today with a cocktail presented by Jamie Boudreau at the last Mixology Monday. I originally planned to try the Jasmine next, but not being a massive fan of grapefruit juice, which Robert Hess informs me it tastes of, I thought the following cocktail would be more to my taste. Up until now all the Campari cocktails I have tried use gin as their base spirit, so I was interested to see how it worked with Bourbon instead…
Union Club
- 2 shots Bourbon
- ½ shot Maraschino
- ½ shot Campari
- 1½ shots fresh orange juice
- Shake well with ice and fine strain in to a cocktail glass.
The initial taste of the Union Club is dominated by the Bourbon. However, upon further sips the Maraschino starts to reveal itself, along with hints of Campari. The orange juice works really well with the Campari, taming it somewhat without completely masking its distinctive taste. Bourbon remains the commanding ingredient, but all the other flavours combine nicely in the background to create a very good cocktail.
The Union Club is without a doubt the best Campari cocktail I have tasted so far, and the first I would drink (and indeed have) again. My plan now is to continue getting used to Campari using this cocktail and eventually revisit some of the previous drinks I have tried, much like I did with some of the gin-based cocktails I tried before becoming a gin fan. Who knows, one day I might even be sipping Campari straight like Robert does!
Posted in Bourbon, Campari, Maraschino, Orange, Recipes
If you liked this, the barman recommends...
September 4th, 2007 at 6:06 am
Just came across your site.
Love it! Keep up the good work.
September 5th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Jay—have you tried sipping Campari mixed with a little 7-Up? It’s a pretty easy way to get acclimated to the flavor by itself, and you can gradually decrease the soda until you’re drinking it straight.
September 8th, 2007 at 2:00 am
That’s not a bad idea at all Marleigh. And so simple… god knows why I didn’t think of it before!
March 28th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Hi jay – A very popular way to drink Campari since it hits the market is to add a splash of soda water, you can try also to chill it down with the shaker and add an orange twist (not a drop), very simple. For the Campary amateur add a drop of Campari to your favorire sparkling wine and for the Campariaholic try this one: muddle half a peeled orange with a drop (I said a drop) of banana liqueur and a sprinkle of bar sugar (if you want), fill the glass with crushed ice and campari, a straw and a banana slice, you’ll be surprised.
Cheers!!
P.S. did I mentioned the Czarina?