A.A. Badenhorst ‘Caperitif’ The Grand Quinquina – NV (750ml)

(17.5% alcohol; a sweet Vermouth made from Chenin Blanc flavored with Quinchona bark and 35 botanicals and sweetened with grape sugar; this is Lot #5): Copper-orange color. Knockout, endlessly complex perfume of orange blossom, cinnamon Red Hots, clove, ginger and mint. A silky, umami-like texture is utterly seamless and smooth. Hints of griotte cherry, orange zest, fynbos and tree bark are lifted by a strong spicy character. Wonderfully complex, moderately sweet and long, with a finishing note of bitter orange giving the finish a drier quality and great refreshment value. I bet you can’t drink just one glass. In partnership with Danish mixologist Lars-Erik Schmidt, Adi Badenhorst reinvented an old South African product that disappeared in about 1910. Serve it on its own over ice with a slice of lemon, or with club soda. It’s also remarkably versatile in cocktails.
Vinous – 95 points