Boozehound - Jason Wilson [55]
The Boulevardier was named after a 1920s magazine for expats living in Paris that was run by socialite Erskine Gwynne. I added a bit more bourbon to the mix, but this drink is in every way the equal of the classic Negroni. In fact, it’s better. Meaning, I guess, that looking at things and trying new drinks does occasionally have its rewards.
BOULEVARDIER
Serves 1
1½ ounces bourbon
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1 ounce Campari
Lemon peel twist, for garnish
Fill a mixing glass halfway with ice. Add the bourbon, vermouth, and Campari. Stir vigorously for 30 seconds, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the lemon peel twist.
NOTE: Use a bourbon that’s on the spicier side, such as Buffalo Trace, Four Roses, or Russell’s Reserve.
So now that we’ve reengineered the Negroni, perhaps we should focus on a few of the other strange Italian spirits we’ve talked about. Barolo Chinato is not featured in many cocktails, but it probably should be. This recipe, created by Adam Bernbach of Proof in Washington, D.C., is an instant classic. Maybe if more cocktails this good are invented using Barolo Chinato, it will become a back-bar staple.
DARKSIDE
Serves 1
2½ ounces gin, preferably Plymouth
1 ounce Barolo Chinato
3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
Lime peel twist, for garnish
1 whole star anise, for garnish
Fill a mixing glass two-thirds full with ice. Add the gin, Barolo Chinato, and bitters. Stir vigorously for 30 seconds, then strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the lime peel twist and star anise.
Adapted from a recipe by Adam Bernbach of Proof, Washington, D.C.
An amaro, such as Ramazzotti, Montenegro, or Meletti, is usually consumed solo after dinner as a digestive. Many in the bar and restaurant industry drink Fernet-Branca as a badge of honor. I was recently at a dinner where one famous bartender ordered it, and then everyone else felt that they had to order one. It’s particularly popular in San Francisco, where locals order a shot with a ginger ale chaser. And in Argentina, the national drink might as well be Fernet and Coke.
As for mixing cocktails with amari … well, that’s a little trickier. But you’re seeing it more and more as an ingredient on cocktail menus all over the country. Averna, for instance, has been having its moment for a couple of years now. It’s used in the Black Manhattan variation.
The Intercontinental takes a different, but still classic, approach. It’s a unique concoction that balances the richness of cognac with Averna’s herbal and bittersweet chocolate flavors plus the fruity aroma and almond notes of maraschino liqueur.
INTERCONTINENTAL
Serves 1
1½ ounces cognac
1 ounce Averna
½ ounce maraschino liqueur
Orange peel twist, for garnish
Fill a mixing glass two-thirds full with ice. Add the cognac, Averna, and maraschino liqueur. Stir vigorously for 30 seconds, then strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the orange peel twist.
Recipe by Duggan McDonnell of Cantina, San Francisco
Our last elegantly balanced cocktail is a variation on both the Greyhound (vodka and grapefruit juice) and the Salty Dog (gin and grapefruit juice with a salted rim). It calls for Italy’s unique Punt e Mes vermouth, made by Carpano, whose taste falls somewhere between a traditional red vermouth and a bitter.
ITALIAN GREYHOUND
Serves 1
Kosher salt, for rimming the glass
2 ounces Punt e Mes
2 ounces freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
Rim an old-fashioned glass with salt, then add 3 or 4 ice cubes. Add the Punt e Mes and grapefruit juice. Stir.
Adapted from a recipe of No. 9 Park, Boston
CHAPTER 6
WATER OF LIFE
I SEND YOUR GRACE SOME WATER CALLED AQUA VITAE. THIS WATER CURES ALL TYPES OF INTERNAL DISEASES