I have never seen the television show Twin Peaks, but I remember it being a large part of the zeitgeist when I was in 8th grade.
Here's what I knew at the time:
- There was a character named Laura Palmer who was murdered.
- The show was supposedly quite weird.
Here's what I know now:
- There was a character named Laura Palmer who was murdered.
- The show was directed by David Lynch, so it absolutely, positively has to be weird.
Have you ever seen a David Lynch film?
I've seen one.
It was called Mulholland Drive.
I liked it, but I didn't understand it. At all.
Anyway.
For Bénédictine month, I chose to make a drink called Twin Peaks.
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| Frosty & aloof - like the show? |
Ingredients:
- dash of Triple Sec
- 2 measures bourbon
- 1 measure Bénédictine
- 1 measure lime juice
When flipping through cocktail recipes, I initially wanted a gin-based mix... but once I stumbled upon this lovely, my heart was sold.
C'mon. You know me.
Bourbon.
I have a Pavlovian response to it.
It can't be coincidence that this drink is called Twin Peaks.
There's a remarkable complexity to it, and according to the Wikipedia plot synopsis, so, too, does the television show.
However... I didn't taste the Bénédictine at first. I was slightly disappointed.
But my disappointment didn't last long, because - goddamn - this is an incredible cocktail. And that's not just the alcohol speaking.
Ok.
Maybe it is.
Because this is one boozy drink.
It's hard to describe the cocktail. It doesn't taste like bourbon. It doesn't taste like Bénédictine. It doesn't taste like lime. This indicates one thing: these ingredients complement each other beautifully, creating the perfect mix.
There are moments where you might detect a hint of each ingredient, though. Here's the lime, tickling your tastebuds as the drink lingers on the palette. Here's the Bénédictine, intoxicatingly mysterious, holding your interest with its complex combination of flavors. Here's the bourbon, being the big, bossy badass it is - announcing its beautiful headiness amongst the combatting flavors.
Dave, I love this drink. It's the perfect combination of profiles: a sharp sour note, a mellow sweetness. A big hit of flavor. Even though we're at the tail end of winter (though you wouldn't know it with the unseasonably warm day we're having - I'm enjoying an evening on the balcony as I write this entry), I can safely say that this cocktail would be perfect for a summer twilight. A lovely end to a lovely day.
It is a five-star drink, through and through.
Also: I didn't read too much about Twin Peaks. The brief synopsis I read was enough to make me think that it might be a show we'd enjoy.
Even if it is just a weird excursion into mindfuckery. Kinda like the drink.
Love,
Joe
PS: While writing this article, I was listening to the new Amanda Palmer single, "Machete", on repeat. It's a bit of a meta-reference. How so? Amanda Palmer's debut solo album was titled Who Killed Amanda Palmer?, a sly reference to Twin Peaks. It's refreshing to know that her solo output is as good as what she did with The Dresden Dolls.
Nerdy Librarian Citations
Whitaker, Julie & Ian Whitelaw. A Pocket Guide to Cocktails. Bath: Parragon Books, 2006. Print.
"Twin Peaks". Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2016. Web. 10 March 2016. <http://en.wikipedia.org>.
Hipster.
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