That time I created a silly cocktail and named it after my fiancée
Erin and I posing near a waterfall in Iceland in 2016.
In late fall 2016, my then-fiancée and I vacationed in Iceland, where taxes make alcohol extremely expensive. (Seriously, we got a local beer on tap at our hotel bar and paid $14 — and that was the happy hour price.)
Ahead of our trip, a friend of a friend had advised us to actually stop in the duty-free shop upon arrival at the airport and buy some tax-free booze there to consume in our hotel instead of going broke having drinks on the town. (Iceland is one of a handful of countries in Europe that allows duty-free shopping upon arrival.)
This turned out to be great advice.
We purchased a six-pack of a local beer (I can’t remember what it was) and a bottle of Icelandic vodka called Eldurís, which then cost about $20 for 1 liter.
Eldurís is bottled at 37.5% ABV (which is actually lower than the legal minimum for vodka in the United States) and was perfectly fine for mixing with seltzer or flavored soda in our hotel room before we’d venture out for an evening stroll and dinner.
We enjoyed that bottle during our stay so we brought another one home with us.
ANYWAY.
Shortly after that vacation, Erin (then-fiancée, now-wife) and I hosted an engagement-slash-holiday party at our tiny apartment in Queens. I wanted to create a signature cocktail for the party using that souvenir spirit from Iceland. But Erin and I are primarily whisky drinkers, so I came up with this refreshing and fruity vodka-Scotch combo cocktail.
Everyone who tried it claimed to enjoy it but they were probably just being polite.
Eldurís isn’t sold in the United States, so you can substitute it with a different Icelandic vodka, such as Reyka, or any brand you like.
Oh, and I named this silly drink after my silly love.
The Erin
This cocktail contains tart cherry juice concentrate. Be aware that many so-called tart cherry products are made from mostly apple or grape juice with only some cherry juice. Make sure you are getting concentrate made from only tart cherries and no added sugar.
2 maraschino cherries
1 tsp maraschino cherry syrup
1 tsp tart cherry juice concentrate (such as Dynamic Health brand)
1 tsp lemon juice
1½ oz blended Scotch whisky (such as Johnnie Walker Red Label or Scottish Leader)
1½ oz Eldurís or other Icelandic vodka
Club soda or seltzer
Muddle maraschino cherries, cherry syrup, tart cherry juice concentrate, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker.
Add whisky, vodka, and ice, and then shake vigorously to chill.
Pour contents into a highball glass.
Top with either club soda or seltzer to desired dilution.
Variation: After shaking with ice, strain into a glass over fresh ice. Making it this way strains out the muddled cherries.
Variation: Top with black cherry-flavored seltzer for an extra cherry kick.
Our (empty) bottle of Eldurís vodka. I wish I had a better photo.
