Published Jun 16, 2007
I swear they should have an Iron Bartender TV show, because you discover the most fun things that way! The AIG and I wanted a nice drink, and I don’t exactly have a well-equipped bar in my apartment. But I fooled around with the mismatched alcohols I had, and I came up with something absolutely delicious. So, here it is: the Italian Blind:1
Shake, with ice, and pour into a chilled martini glass:
4oz. Vodka
1/2oz. Jägermeister
1/2oz. Simple Syrup
1/4oz. fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon coffee grounds
Imagine my shock when the combination of the above tasted incredible!
If you’d like to be classier than me, you can pour it through a coffee filter and get out the grounds. Either way, the result tastes and smells like an espresso, with a little fun depth provided by the botanicals in the Jäger. (The lemon and simple syrup just smooth things out and marry the flavor; I haven’t tried, but you could probably substitute 1/2oz. Triple Sec for the two.)
So, try it, drink, and enjoy!
1 Origin of the name: Jäger means hunter, so what do hunters do? They sit behind duck blinds and wait for something to come by so they can shoot it. This drink tastes like an espresso, so clearly it will attract Italians. Thus: an Italian blind.
Xta and I recently invented the Lojito, a lavender version of the Mojito. (Mint starts with M, so…) Same proportions, more or less, but with the mint syrup replaced with lavender syrup (which she made because her lavender plant needed trimming, and then she needed something to do with the a bundle of lavender). And we used a mix of fresh lemon and lime juice, and Mount Gay Barbados Golden, instead of a white rum, which is standard for mojitos. (The woodiness goes well with the lemon and lavender flavors.)
Oh, hey, they have a website. That’s the best stuff available at the low-end supermarket (Safeway) that was the only thing open at 9:30pm when we were trying to make lojitos. It was good. I like some other stuff better — Flor de Caña, Matusalem, and it seems to me there’s one with a name like “Diez Cañas” or something like that “[number] of canes”… OK, actually, it’s “10 Cane”. (I looked it up on the site of the place I got it: La Bodeguita del Medio, which, if you come visit up here, we have to go to, and drink heavily.)