The Double Doink
In football, the infamous Double Doink refers to a (partially blocked) missed field goal attempt by the Chicago Bears that tragically hit the goal post twice before bouncing out. This hilarious event resonates with me today because of the way that this drink played out. Since this post is for the Super Bowl I was very excited to use my football ice mold. I wanted to make the ice football-colored, so I came up with a (surprise) overly complicated recipe that would impart lovely flavors and color.
Despite my nerdy calculations and assurances that the ABV was low enough to freeze…it did not. It became a nice slushy substance that melted upon hitting the glass (doink). Then my goal post garnish wouldn’t stand up no matter what I did (double doink). I did not lose the game, however, because the drink is still delicious. And somehow it ended up at perfect temperature and dilution by just dumping the slushball in the glass.
I’ve talked about the delicious Penleope bourbon before and it was a perfect base here— not too assertive to completely drown out the other flavors but strong enough to stand up to the likes of Fernet. The result is rich, complex, bittersweet, with just the right amount of minty Branca on the back end. If making at home, I recommend skipping the water and combining all the ingredients, stirring with ice and straining into a chilled glass, served up with a lemon twist.
Recipe
2oz bourbon whiskey (@penelopebourbon, gifted)
1oz Meletti Amaro (@meletti_official)
0.75oz Fernet Branca (@fernetbranca)
0.75oz sweet vermouth
0.5oz turbinado syrup
1 tsp whole coffee beans (medium roast recommended)
Combine all ingredients and allow coffee to infuse for ~5 minutes. Stir with ice until chilled. Fine strain into chilled old fashioned glass, no ice. Garnish with lemon twist.
If you want to make the “ice” described above, combine all ingredients except for the bourbon and add 1oz water. Freeze for at least 24 hours. Add to bourbon and serve as above. Cheers!!
