Continuing with my use of raspberry syrup, I present The Blinker:
- 2.0 ounces rye (Old Overholt specified by Dr. Cocktail)
- 1.0 ounce grapefruit juice
- 2 bar spoons (1 teaspoon) raspberry syrup
Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
This is a very simple drink, and Dr. Cocktail only dedicates three sentences to it. The drink was first published in Patrick Gavin Duffy’s The Official Mixer’s Manual in 1934 and the name refers to a synonym for “blinders”, those little eye shade thingies which you might use to keep a horse focused on the road.
He also mentioned that originally grenadine was specified instead of the raspberry syrup, but that in his tests the syrup made a much better drink.
I found this cocktail very enjoyable. The additions to the rye are like a sweet and sour mix – the grapefruit lending tartness while the syrup offsets that. I like whiskey sours and I like the way this mix accentuates the flavor of the spirit.
Rating: 4/5
Notes: I used Redemption Rye since I like it in cocktails, and I used a pink grapefruit to complement the color and back off a bit on the natural tartness. I used Smucker’s Raspberry syrup since I have a lot of it.