July 4th

We started out at Shake Shack. Burgers -- NYC's best -- made sense on this holiday. We were a bit disappointed. Though our pup surely was not. I have many times in the past proclaimed the Shack to be A-1, king of the hill, top of the heap. However, this is now my 3rd time that I have been let down. It is still a good burger. But just not the holy-crap-I-waited-in-line-an-hour-and-it-still blows-my-mind good. So, right now, I are 3 for 3 with the Shack. Not an encouraging sign. The Shack-cago dog was damn tasty though, and I am not one for overdoing a dog.

The good news is that Shake Shack is just a few blocks from Julie Reiner's Flatiron Lounge. I had only been there once before after a job interview. One of FL's unique offerings is a daily flight -- a set of three themed mixed drinks. The first time I was there, it was Tiki themed. Being a life long (literally) tiki nut, I jumped on that without hesitation. And, it was a revelation. These were not the common booze infused Hawaii punches. These were serious drinks. Each ingredient perfectly, sublimely balanced. It was in awe.

To my delight, last night, the 4th of July, the flight was similarly themed -- Island drinks: a Mai Tai, a Jamaican Firefirely, and... something else I am not sure what the bartender called it. They were all once again perfect.

My wife ordered an excellent drink of Hendricks Gin, French vermouth, Bianco vermouth, and a dash of yellow chartreuse. For the second round, when I specified a drink made with Rittenhouse Rye, the bartender ecstatically suggested her favorite drink on the menu, "Remember the Maine." You can read about the historical lore here, but I will focus on the drink. It is a solid drink. I wasn't at first enamored, but the more I drank, the more it grew on me. It is somewhat of a modified Manhattan, and by the final sip, had fallen in love. My wife was also very fond of it.

On the way home, we stopped by a decent nearby liquor store. They didn't have Rittenhouse, but did have Wild Turkey Rye 101. A suitable substitution. Once home, I attempted to recreate.

Remember the Maine (My guess at the portions)

2 oz Rye (Wild Turkey 101)

1 oz Sweet vermouth (Dolin)

1/2 oz Cherry Heering

1 tsp Absinthe [rinse] (Emile Pernot Vieux Pontarlier Absinthe Francaise Superieure)

Whether or not I nailed the proportions, the taste was right on. I think the only noticeable difference was between the Rittenhouse and the Wild Turkey Rye. I've since looked it up, as I had (ironically) forgotten the name until this morning, and though recipes vary, I am sticking with mine.

UPDATE: It seemed like an obvious variation, so I swapped out Gin for Rye with the Remember the Maine. Fantastic. And dare I say, gin seems to work better than rye. I doubt I am the first person to think of this alternative. I am wondering if it has a name. If not, my submission is "Remember the Brain," as this highly quaffable libation can do damage.