T.N.T. Special begets the Lock Up Your Daughter

I was thumbing through my “What’ll You Have 1933 reprint” a while ago and came across this tasty little explosion.

I had just received a bottle of Laird’s Applejack from a friend and was looking for an old school idea to use it in. This original is nice and crisp, the bitters/syrup combo really help to drive the cider apple finish.

T.N.T. Special

2 parts Applejack

1 part French (dry) Vermouth

2 dashes Angosturra

1/2 Teaspoon Gomme (rich, demerrera) syrup

Combine these over ice, stir and strain.

While this was good, I just felt I needed a little more punch from a drink named after Trinitrotoluene.

Also, can any person under the age of 35 hear the word T.N.T. and not think of Bon Scott and Angus Young? I didn’t think so.

Let’s name this drink after my favorite line in that song.

Lock Up Your Daughter

2 parts Laird’s Applejack

1/2 part Martini Rossi Dry Vermouth

1/2 part Carpano Antica Italian Vermouth

2 dashes Fee Bros. Old Fashioned bitters

Barspoon of Gomme syrup

I like the way that the Sweet/Spicy vermouth really plays off some high notes in the applejack. Cinnamon and Vanilla bring the roof of your mouth into the mix and there’s a cool heat in the finish, thanks to the bitters. I can sip on these all night long, but ultimately, I think I prefer the original.

(which I guess makes me the Brian Johnson to the original’s Bon Scott… Yeah, I’m the Stiff Upper Lip guy. Ouch. I just punched myself in the gut. Wait, the “Jailbreak” video was probably the first example of Rock N’ Roll homoerotica, one that Brett Michaels surely saw, which made him say “Hey, I bet I could get even more dudes chicks and rock  harder than these guys if I just stole some of my sisters lipstick and had my buddy put on some eyeliner!” Okay, I need to stop typing now.)

Watch me explode!