Cocktail Notes || EP. 12 “Butterfly", by Herbie Hancock || Mariposa

The second song I am playing for my tribute to Herbie Hancock is “Butterfly”. It is a song I’ve never played before this video, but have seen in my Real Book a few times. I did not actually know how the song was supposed to sound. When I looked it up on YouTube, it turned out to be a lot groovier and chiller than I thought. I thought it would be more upbeat since the style in the book described it as “funk”. Turns out it had more of an R&B vibe. One of the characteristics that stood out to me was the use of latin/world percussion in the original recording. Conga drums add to the rich texture of the song. In the middle of the song, there is a drum solo interlude which I found particularly interesting. I did my best to emulate it by doing my take on some guitar percussion. Learning this song was a fun venture. I bet this song would be a blast played in a band!

The cocktail I chose to pair with this song is called the “Mariposa”, which translates to butterfly in Spanish. The cocktail tasted refreshing and light. The balance of combining light rum and cognac along with citric juices made for a straightforward drink. It had a slight tiki vibe since it was rum based. I would not say this cocktail was very exciting or challenging. Early on in my cocktail making days, I might have found more novelty in this recipe. I find myself now looking for a surprising and thought-provoking flavor profile. I have discovered that cocktails with orange juice taste really flat. The juice tends to round out the flavor too much, blanketing the cocktail with a sweet orangeness. I prefer a drink that has more jagged edges. From working on this project, I have learned just as much about myself in the cocktail making portion as the music performing one. Cheers!

[January 14, 2021]