Creative Drinking

Tonight's Cocktail: Black Dahlia 

So tonight i was in the mood for something different and decided to dust off one of the bottles of (lately ignored) vodka and try a Black Dahlia. I have had this in the back of my mind since an episode of "Revenge" (Season 1) I was watching on DVD a couple weeks ago. I have since learned this is not the classic recipe, but this combination sounded good and, although a bit sweet for me personally, it did the trick.

The Gallery Bar at the Biltmore Hotel in LA, where the original recipe was born, was where actress Elizabeth Short (posthumously known as "The Black Dahlia") was last seen before her gruesome murder in 1947 (so the story goes). The drink is still on the menu and is as follows:

• 3.5 oz Citrus vodka
• 3/4 oz Chambord Raspberry liqueur
• 3/4 oz Kahlua Coffee liqueur

Sometimes cocktails take on a life of their own and the ingredients start changing a bit. Tonight I'm doing the "Revenge" version, which is:

• 3 oz Vodka (I used Absolut for the first one and Pinnacle blackberry (seemed appropriate?) for the second...couldn't really tell the difference)
• 1 oz Creme de Cassis (Blackcurrant liqueur- I'm using Joseph Cartron)
• a dash of blackberry liqueur (I decided it would be a good vehicle for the blackberry syrup I made a couple weeks ago. so, while it's not actually a liqueur per say, I didn't really see the need to seek out blackberry liqueur when A)I made syrup already and B) it's not even in the original recipe

Shake ingredients and strain into martini glass. I had no garnish. I suppose a lemon twist would have been nice. Next time.