cocktail review no. 8 - Kamikaze

Dad and I managed to procure a ridiculously inexpensive one-liter bottle of Smirnoff at Albertson's the other day, so now the whole section in the Bartender's Bible concerning vodka drinks is open to me. And here's a particular favorite of mine, and an absolute classic:

• 1½ ounces vodka
• ½ ounces Cointreau or triple sec
• 2 teaspoons Rose's lime juice

Pour the vodka, the triple sec and the lime juice into a mixing glass half-filled with ice cubes. Stir well and serve. This is the more refined recipe. The original called for a shot of Stolichnaya vodka and a bit of lime juice, and was supposed to be gulped in one go. It was designed to get a person drunk but quick. This version turned the Kamikaze into a sipping drink. 'Course, my bottle of Rose's lime juice is probably about 18 months old now, so it's a little past its prime. It's turning yellow and has a slightly fermented flavor. Nonetheless it did the trick. This drink is flavorful, smooth and eminently sippable (is that a word?). The taste is something akin to limeade; subsequently this cocktail makes a great summer drink. A lot of people, including yours truly, complain about vodka as being flavorless and nondescript. As Gary Regan so wisely noted, however, that is part of the real beauty of vodka: it allows you to flavor it to your heart's content.