Hunter

 During the fall season, the temperature is slowly dropping; the air is getting cooler and crisper; the nights are getting longer.  The hunters are out in the forests and the mountains looking for their prey.   

 

The Hunter’s Cocktail was crafted in order to invoke to this image.  When pouring the different cocktail books, magazines, and websites, there are two names that are commonly found with this drink.  One name is the “Hunter’s Cocktail”.  The other name is “Hunter”.  I am particular fond of the name “Hunter” because it brings the image that was described above to the forefront.  “Hunter” invokes notions of masculinity when heard.  It is not surprising to hear this when looking at its ingredients.

Hunter is a combination of rye whisky and cherry brandy.  Rye whiskies typically bring a drier, smoky, and spicier note to drinks.  I have, also, seen this drink made with bourbon whisky.  Bourbon whisky seems fitting to this drink because bourbons bring sweet, rounder notes to drinks.  However when tasting this drink with bourbon, the bourbon tends to make this drink sweeter and richer.  It’s a little too rich for my taste.  I find that the rye whisky brings a balance to the other ingredient in this drink, the cherry brandy.

If the whisky brings the image of the mountains, forests, and the outdoors to the drink, the cherry brandy brings the blood to the drink.  When someone says the word “hunter” or “hunting”, the first image that comes to mind is blood.  Cherry brandy is not an overtly sweet liqueur.  It has a distinctive dry characteristic to it.  For me, it is a cross between a dry Curacao and a sweet liqueur.  The little dryness that the cherry brandy contains is the great complement to spicy, dry notes that are found in the rye whisky.  However with that being said, the cherry brandy can overpower the drink. 

The measurements in this drink are really according to your taste.  How do you like drinks, a little sweet? a little spicy?  For me, I find a proportion of 1 part rye whisky to one-half part of cherry brandy does the trick.  This strikes a nice balance to the drink.

Hunter

40 ml of rye whisky (Old Overholt)

20 ml of cherry brandy (Suntory’s Hermes Cherry Brandy)

Pour the ingredients into a mixing glass.

Fill the mixing glass with glass.

Stir the drink until the drink is cold and diluted to your tastes. 

 (I typically stir it for 30 seconds.)

Strain the mixture into a chilled cocktail glass.

Enjoy!