MxMo Lime: Marchetti Falcon

This month's Mixology Monday snuck up on me and I very nearly forgot to put up my post.  But fear not, I have an offering. This month is number LI, and for the 51st iteration Doug at The Pegu Blog has proffered "Lime" as the theme. And an excellent theme it is. The acidity and brightness of lime juice are key to balancing the sugar content of innumerable cocktails; the simple margarita, daiquiri, and mojito, or the more complex tiki drinks such as the mai tai or the zombie, just to name a few. I've crafted a lime based drink for you this month I've dubbed the Marchetti Falcon, using as a jumping off point a limey drink I've enjoyed in the past, the Clipper Ship; I think both of these drinks are illustrative of lime's ability to be in the foundation for a cocktail, along with a sweetener and a spirit. I was also drawn to this because it makes use of lime zest as a garnish, which I find more interesting and elegant than a simple lime wedge. (Unless of course you jazz up the wedge as I notice our host has done with his entry for the theme.) Lemons and oranges lend themselves to the twist treatment, but the thinner peel of the lime calls for this different approach. Oh, and this goes without saying, but since the theme is lime I'll say it anyway: the lime juice MUST be fresh. This is of supreme importance with lemons and oranges when mixing, but lime juice oxidizes and loses everything good, and gains evil, even more quickly than its citrus brethren. So, with no further ado, here's what I've got:

Marchetti Falcon

• 1¾ oz gin (Bulldog Gin)
• 1 oz Mandarine Napoléon*
• ¾ oz Lime Juice
• ¼ oz Luxardo Maraschino
• ½ tsp Absinthe (Marteau)
• small pinch salt
• lime zest for garnish

Shake and double strain, garnish with microplaned lime zest over top of drink.

*I think, it might be 1 oz, but I lost my notes and don't have time to verify right now. That's what I get for my usual practice writing on some random scrap of paper.

UPDATE: I found my notes and it was 1 oz after all, not ¾, so I changed it above. Also it was ½ tsp Absinthe, not a whole tsp.

I cut back on the gin and Mandarine Napoléon a tad because the latter is 80 proof compared to the 40 the St. Germain I was swapping out clocks in at. I had originally tried Mathilde Poires Pear Liqueur instead of St. Germain, which made for a perfectly pleasant drink but it was a little lacking in the richness and complexity I was looking for. I also tried using a dash of Green Chartreuse instead of absinthe for another twist, but the absinthe proved a superior choice. (Even I, with my well documented penchant for Chartreuse, realized the absinthe version was better.) I also bumped up the lime because I tend to like my drinks on the dry side, and also because it was this month's theme, after all. After that bump, it proved a bit too dry (but still better than using only ½ oz), and it also needed just that little extra something.  Enter the maraschino, which provided that extra touch of balancing sweetness, along with its distinctive funk to round out the drink. Cheers!

UPDATE: Check out Doug's limey roundup post, it's now up.