The essential components of a Frisco, the official cocktail of Burnt My Fingers. Not shown: optional lemon twist.
Yes, we like cask strength Islays. Yes, we love a good IPA with an ABV of 7% of higher. But when it comes to a mixed drink, we have officially anointed the Frisco the official cocktail of Burnt My Fingers.
Frisco what, you say? We first heard of the Frisco from Lew Bryson, a whiskey maven (he’s senior drinks editor for the Daily Beast) who used to reside in our area and now lives in Bucks County, PA. He praised a cocktail which as I recall contained 2.25 oz bourbon and .75 oz Benedictine, shaken with ice then strained with a twist of lemon added at the end. Sounded good to us so we went out and picked up a bottle of Benedictine, an herbal concoction which is one of the less expensive liqueurs, and a supply of our favorite Evan Williams bourbon.
In making the drink we are frankly a little lazy with the details. We don’t use lemon unless there is one lying around nearby and we will either put an ice cube in the glass or just drink it room temperature. What you get is a very pleasant alternative to just drinking the bourbon straight: a bit herbal, a tetch sweet, something special to end the day.
Google Frisco cocktaill and you won’t find a lot, which pleases us. The origin of the cocktail is unclear and it was originally made with rye apparently, but Benedictine + Evan is a felicitous combination. And was it named for San Francisco, or as a dig to the natives who hate it when you call their city Frisco? Unclear. But the drink is solid, so give it a try.
sounds like a perfect drink on a cool or cold evening….maybe a sipper when enjoying a night outside by a firepit!
Yes indeed! We got both a simple fire pit and a butane heater, but that Thanksgiving storm hit before we got to enjoy them. Any day now!