I don’t have a lot of experience with sherry, so it’s hard for me to compare the Sangre y Trabajadero with others. I was delighted by the modifying effect it had on the Licor 43, very surprising.

I hadn’t thought of it until you mentioned—yes, it is a very Spanish cocktail. It would be amusing to make it with a Spanish vodka; alas! I’m not aware of any in my market.

Thanks for taking time to comment, Raul.

If you’re a vodka fan, this one’s for you.

I agree with your point, in general, and it gets right to the heart of the vodka cocktail, certainly.

Focusing on flavor, you could say that Vodkaland is divided into (a) a nice cold glass of good vodka, and (b) everything else. The challenge, from my point of view, is to find drinks in the (b) class that are actually interesting and worthwhile.

As for the dry vodka Martini, or Kangaroo, as it’s sometimes called, I agree that it should be very, very dry, with the vermouth approaching complete disappearance. I actually do find it interesting; I think my fascination lies in the idea that the Kangaroo is the only drink I know that assays the flavor boundary between cocktails and the straight glass of vodka.

It’s good to hear from you again; thanks for taking time to suggest the “counter-argument.”

I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks, Paul.

That’s an interesting observation, Licor 43 as an evening ender. Yes, that could work very well, thanks for the idea. I look forward to giving it a try.

Johnny Michaels seems to be inspired by phrases from popular culture that catch his attention, like song and movie titles, song lyrics, even the names of rock bands. His drinks menus can be fun reads.

The Licor 43 should be easy to find. It seems strange to me that sherries—quality sherries—should be the more difficult ingredient. At least around here, there only seem to be a couple choices in any given wine shop.