Madras Old Fashioned
Perversely, the Madras Old Fashioned is far removed from the country of Spain. What began as an experiment to recycle the delectable syrup accompanying one of my favorite Indian desserts, Gulab Jamun, resulted in a unique twist on the classic old fashioned. For the unfamiliar, Gulab Jamun is a milky cheesy doughnut hole deep fried in clarified butter and soaked in a floral cardamom syrup.
Most curried or seasoned cocktails are too spice-forward. This cocktail was the product of much empirical testing and strikes a delicate balance between the complexity of the spices, sweetness of the syrup, and stone fruit essence from the rye. Reduce the curry powder to a mere pinch if 1/4 tsp seems daunting.
2oz Overproof Rye
0.3oz Gulab Jamun Syrup (may substitute 0.5oz cardamom simple)
~1/4 tsp Madras Curry Powder (curry leaf, turmeric, chili, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, allspice, salt)
Dash Wildfire old fashioned bitters
Stir well on ice. Double filter through a very fine sieve to remove curry powder and doughnut particles. Serve in an old fashioned glass on a large ice cube and garnish with a bay leaf.
