So we have come to the close of yet another week in this dumpster fire of a year. The last couple weeks, and this one especially were dominated by the news of certain individuals and their tax returns, and how much they did or did not pay. God, just typing that sentence makes me want to have a drink. Good thing this is a drinking column…

On the subject of those pesky income taxes, I present the Income tax cocktail. This is one from the Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails book, so you’re forgiven if you haven’t heard of it. I certainly hadn’t until looking through this book. The author describes (and rightfully so) as a “Bronx cocktail with bitters”. Having never made either one of these before. I thought I needed to make both drinks for comparison sake…also science. So let’s get to it:

Income Tax:

1.5 oz Gin

.75 oz. Dry vermouth

.75 oz. Sweet vermouth

Juice of 1/4 orange (squeezed right into the shaker)

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with orange wheel.

Off the bat, it has a very strong orange nose. Fresh juice right in the shaker and a slice as a garnish will do that. I don’t detect any other aromas here. I don’t even think they are there present. Which is welcome.

The first sip is a tad dry. It starts out with a mixture of the gin and the sweet and dry vermouths working in concert to suppress the gin. The 1-2 punch really forces the gin into a supporting role. The floral notes from the gin are very muted early on. You can tell it is there, but it isn’t in your face about it.

Once the initial dryness wears off, a touch of sweetness starts to come in, about midway through the sip. The orange flavor, as well as a bit of citric acid comes through the most at this point.

As the sip progresses further, the floral notes of the gin begin make an appearance. It seems as if they’ve been lying in wait until this moment to shine. Right at the end, is where the angostura bitters are most prevalent. The bitters also linger for a bit after the sip, but for not very long.

Now for comparison, the Bronx from the Waldorf Astoria cocktail book:

1.5 oz Gin

.5 oz Sweet vermouth

.5 Dry vermouth

1 oz. Fresh orange juice

1 dash orange bitters

Add all ingredients to mixing glass. Add ice and shake well. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. No garnish.

A little less orange on the nose. I would assume that is because there is no garnish here. The best way to describe the aroma of the Bronx is crisp and fresh.

The taste is extremely similar to the income tax, as you would expect. The extra orange juice and bitters, and the lack of the Angostura bitters effect just enough of a taste to make it different from the Income Tax, but not by much.

Both of these drinks are delicious and very drinkable. I don’t know if I can pick a favorite between the two. They strike a great balance between dry and sweet/fruit centric. I highly recommend making these to those who may not want or like dry cocktails, but are open for exploration.  Both are fabulous drinks and should be mixed and enjoyed if the ingredients are on hand.

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