Metaxa 7

I stumbled across a new (well, new to me at any rate!) spirit today from Greece.  I was looking through the brandy section at BevMo to pick up something to make sangria this weekend and found that my old standby, Torres 10 (which is a lovely brandy for mixing), was out of stock!  Against my better judgement I asked one of the employees for a recommendation.  After telling him that I was a fan of the Torres he steered me to the Metaxa 7 as a replacement brandy.  My lunch was nearing it's end so I grabbed a bottle and back off to work!

I always love to experience a new wine or spirit (that is my favorite part of drinking, the adventure!) and when I arrived home I cracked it open for a smell.  Rose, vanilla, grapes, herbs... rather odd for a brandy I think, but very nice nose.  Now, after some google searches I found that the entire Metaxa line is not really brandy at all, but a special blend of traditional brandy, wine, rose petals, spices, and herbs.

Instant fail, BevMo!  I really should know by now not to trust your employees for accurate recommendations (there are a few diamonds in the rough, though).  The one redeeming facet of this is that the Metaxa is actually pretty damn good!  I first tried a splash on the rocks to get a feel for the spirit, and I'm not sure if it was just the hot day or it's Mediterranean origin but it was screaming to be made into something light and refreshing.  This should be your first key that this not an ordinary brandy as 'refreshing' is not usually the first thing that comes to mind with the spirit.

What to do with it now?  Instantly I thought of the Q tonic water I have in the fridge (Fever Tree is my favorite, but I was experimenting with Q recently) and the remainder of the orange from the Negroni I made earlier.  This was seeming too much like a standard tonic/spirit drink... lets mix it up with some St. Germain!  As the jingle goes, "St. Germain makes everything better!"  (for the uninitiated, St. Germain is an Elderflower liqueur from the French Alps).  I'm sure there are a lot of other, more refined mixed drinks featuring Metaxa 7, but after a hot day this rocks.  

Below is the as yet unnamed mixed drink recipe - 

• 1.5oz Metaxa 7
• .5oz St. Germain
• Q Tonic Water
• orange slice - garnish

Stir Metaxa and St. Germain with ice, strain into ice filled white wine glass.  Top with tonic, stir gently.  Garnish with orange slice.