For this drink, i’ve chosen Cherry Blossom and Lychee Gin Liqueur, from the Asda Extra Special spirits range. This spirit was actually launched in early 2020, for Valentines Day. I guess it is quite fitting - Astarte is a goddess of love. And both Uni and Juno are goddesses of couples and marriages.
The colour is a very innocent translucent pink, but the whole liquid sparkles when you shake it! I actually did early tests without the sparkle, as I managed to miss the instruction on the bottle’s front label 🤦🏼♂️
Clearly the drink is meant to deliver a more unique experience than anticipated. Even in a mixture, as you’ll notice in both photos, the glitter gives it a lovely smokey look.
Not underwhelming on the nose, but this spirit’s aroma is light enough that you almost wouldn’t think it’s a liqueur. The lychee is definitely more present than the juniper. The taste has a hint of cream to it, but still a very fruity, juicy, lychee cream, as opposed to a spirit cream.
The palate has the sweetness you’d expect of a ripe lychee, but it’s also very balanced. This gives the liqueur a taste that’s unique in character, but one not meant to be savoured. The finish is clear, with no real aftertaste. In fact all of the finish seems to hit the sweet spots on the tongue very early. Only moreso if you’re not used to the obviously quite refined sugar taste of the glitter.
The blend I tried it with was Grenadine, and Mediterranean Tonic Water. The drink keeps the sparkle, and the fruity notes are very lifted. But it’s not a drink that can rest, and it didn’t seem to have much to keep it fresh. You wouldn’t leave this sort of cocktail standing around at a party. It has to be finished quickly.
I specifically (and through no small effort of purchase - thanks to some nimrods at Asda! 🙄) chose to use Bols Grenadine. [[ Why Bols? Click here to find out. ]]
After adding a small ice cube and a strip of cucumber, it kept an edge. But the drink doesn’t really have its own “boost”, so don’t expect to enjoy it as much over a long sitting.
Overall, the lychee and cherry blossom liqueur with Mediterranean tonic water and grenadine is... not disappointing. But it really has more to offer in spectacle, than it does in flavour profile. Expect to use this in big fancy cocktails, for which you will probably need to purchase two bottles. If served small, it will just be received as a rather average sweet spirit.
Possibly a blend that would be welcome in the bedchambers of the sacred whore, and the sexual priestess; it could be compared with the pleasures that they offer. But having no permanence and enduring quality, I don’t think it’s a drink that Uni-Astre would so easily welcome at the altar of her temple.
For my next post, we’ll be returning to Dionysus - telling his tales, and mixing with cock-tails!
Clearly the drink is meant to deliver a more unique experience than anticipated. Even in a mixture, as you’ll notice in both photos, the glitter gives it a lovely smokey look.
Not underwhelming on the nose, but this spirit’s aroma is light enough that you almost wouldn’t think it’s a liqueur. The lychee is definitely more present than the juniper. The taste has a hint of cream to it, but still a very fruity, juicy, lychee cream, as opposed to a spirit cream.
The palate has the sweetness you’d expect of a ripe lychee, but it’s also very balanced. This gives the liqueur a taste that’s unique in character, but one not meant to be savoured. The finish is clear, with no real aftertaste. In fact all of the finish seems to hit the sweet spots on the tongue very early. Only moreso if you’re not used to the obviously quite refined sugar taste of the glitter.
I specifically (and through no small effort of purchase - thanks to some nimrods at Asda! 🙄) chose to use Bols Grenadine. [[ Why Bols? Click here to find out. ]]
After adding a small ice cube and a strip of cucumber, it kept an edge. But the drink doesn’t really have its own “boost”, so don’t expect to enjoy it as much over a long sitting.
Overall, the lychee and cherry blossom liqueur with Mediterranean tonic water and grenadine is... not disappointing. But it really has more to offer in spectacle, than it does in flavour profile. Expect to use this in big fancy cocktails, for which you will probably need to purchase two bottles. If served small, it will just be received as a rather average sweet spirit.
Possibly a blend that would be welcome in the bedchambers of the sacred whore, and the sexual priestess; it could be compared with the pleasures that they offer. But having no permanence and enduring quality, I don’t think it’s a drink that Uni-Astre would so easily welcome at the altar of her temple.
For my next post, we’ll be returning to Dionysus - telling his tales, and mixing with cock-tails!
Comments
Post a Comment