Imbibe’s Tasting Notes Enewsletter, 03.02.21

In mid-2019, while visiting Buenos Aires, my tour of the city’s bars introduced me to things both novel and familiar. There were many of the same ingredients and cocktails I’d encountered at bars around the globe—sweet vermouth, bitter liqueurs like Cynar, Fernet-Branca, and Campari, and classic cocktails lovingly prepared with gin, rum, or whiskey. But amid the usual suspects, there were approaches and interpretations I’d never before encountered: the way such liqueurs were placed at center stage in drinks like Pablo Pignatta’s Perfecto Fernet Cola or the Ferroviario highball; the layering of elaborate flavors upon one another such as in Fede Cuco’s cocktails at Verne Club; the way bartenders at Doppelgänger coated the inside of a glass with sugar and Angostura bitters before finishing the preparation of an Old Fashioned.

We’re all eager for the time when we can again pack a suitcase and take off on jaunts around the globe, visiting bars and sipping cocktails without worrying about the safety of such everyday pleasures. We’re not at that point yet, but we’re gradually getting there—the proverbial light is visible at the end of the tunnel. I know I’m definitely not alone in dreaming about the moment when I can finally settle into a seat at the bar again and open up the menu to see what novel and familiar drinks I might find on its pages.

Until then, we’re all in training, exercising our minds and our palates so we’ll be ready for new experiences when the time comes. Need a new drink experience? Then discover Japanese shochu, along with cocktails made with the spirit. Hankering for a trip to the Caribbean? Take a step in that direction by mixing a refreshing cold coffee drink from Café Comunión in Puerto Rico. Or mix a cocktail with a history rooted on a tropical island, using a spirit made on another (not even remotely tropical) island with the Islay Daiquiri from Scotch Lodge in Portland, Oregon. 

We’ve got lots more about Scotch whisky in our brand-new March/April issue. Pick up a copy when you get a chance, and if you’re not already a subscriber to the print and/or digital issues of the magazine, then let’s change that today. Click here to subscribe.

Head over to imbibemagazine.com for a whole range of cocktails made with scotch, and for many other articles and recipes. We’ve got Scotch whisky on our Radio Imbibe podcast, too—check out today’s episode with master blender Dr. Rachel Barrie, and subscribe to the podcast using your favorite podcast app to keep up with future episodes. And keep up with Imbibe on the day to day by following us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. 

The past 12 months haven’t been anything like what any of us might have hoped or expected, but the clock on this crisis is ticking. The end is in sight—until then, keep taking care of yourselves, and continue to play it safe, so we can all get out in the world once again and raise a glass together in person.

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