The Berry White...Show You're Right

A few weeks ago I was flipping through the iBartender App and came across and interesting sounding cocktail: The Berry White. Now when you see the recipe you'll get an idea where the name comes from, but I'm going to go out a limb here and say that it was inspired by the big man himself, composer and singer-songwriter Mr. Barry White.

Whether or not the drink is actually inspired by Mr. White is unknown. As a fan of his for many years (I mean, who doesn't like Barry White, Right?) I find it cool to associate this cocktail with him. Speaking of the cocktail, here is the recipe:

The Berry White
1 oz. Raspberry Vodka
1 oz. Triple Sec
1 oz. White Creme de Cacao
1 oz. Lime Juice

Combine ingredients with ice in a shaker. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

I altered the original recipe by adding a cherry as garnish. The drink is crystal clear and the cherry at the bottom gives it a nice touch of color. The drink was described to me by Dawn and Ms M as tasting as if you were "Drinking candy". The key to the drink is to make it as cold as possible. I shook it vigorously so that it could get nice and cold. Upon tasting I have to admit, it does taste like drinking candy. The Raspberry, Chocolate and Lime notes play in perfect harmony together, often taking turns letting themselves be known on the tongue, Pardon the musical pun but i believe that it is a Barry White inspired drink after all. Perhaps if I use fresh lime instead of Rose's Lime Juice the drink might not be as sweet. I'll have to remix it somewhat. And since I'm mentioning remixing.

Something seemed a little off to me concerning the Berry White. One of his famous lyrics from The Longer We Make Love (With Chaka Khan) is The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice and here lies the rub. The drink is clear. Barry was dark chocolate personified. Here is my remix of the drink:

The Blacker the Berry the Sweeter the Juice (aka Berry White on the dark side)
1 oz. Raspberry Vodka
1 oz. Cointreau (or Triple Sec)
1 oz. Dark Creme de Cacao
1 oz. Fresh Lime
.5 oz. Chambord

Combine ingredients with ice in a shaker. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Upon tasting the drink is not as sweet as the original Berry White. It has a darker color and a slightly thicker consistency to it than the Berry White. My friends Johnny and Jennifer referred to the drink as tasting similar to a Raspberry Chocolate cheesecake. Though i am satisfied with the drink, a lessening of either the Raspberry Vodka or the Chambord would probably help bring out the chocolate flavor of the Dark Creme de Cacao to the surface.

I rather prefer the darker version to the lighter one. The lighter one might be a little too sweet for my taste buds. But I'll make sure to make either one for someone who asks for a sweet cocktail.

Until The, Happy Drinking
Sisco Vanilla