plattetude

Meanwhile, a day later, I did a Rye Smash, roughly equivalent but for the muddling of lemon wedges with the addition of mint. Suuuuuuuperb and perfect for a sultry day.

Followed fast by a Ferrari (because sometimes by the middle of the week, one needs an after dinner drink by 5): 3/4 oz Fernet Branca 3/4 oz Campari pinch salt Neat. (which is to say, no ice. But also, it's neat. Though the Fernet rides roughshod over the Campari, I gotta say.)

Just now, a Negroni per Amor Y Amargo specs, like so: 1 1/2 oz Beefeaters 3/4 oz Carpano Antica (subbed Cocchi Torino) 3/4 oz Campari 2 dashes Angostura Stir 10 times (no more, no less) over ice. Strain into glass with fresh ice. It's good. It's really good. (It's gone.)

The Campari is dialed back in volume and mitigated by sweetness with the addition of triple sec. So rather than having a full 1/3 of Campari balanced with a 1/3 sweet vermouth and 1/3 gin, you've got 1/6 Campari against 1/6 dry vermouth+1/6 triple sec and 1/2 gin. So I guess to be clear, I mean lighter from a bitterness standpoint -- definitely not lighter in ABV.

Plonking through Bartender's Choice (Sam Ross's excellent smartphone cocktail database app), I stumbled across a lovely Vic Bergeron creation called Gloria 1 1/2 oz gin 1/2 oz dry vermouth 1/2 oz Cointreau 1/2 oz Campari Now, as I read that (and mixed it), I knew it was awfully similar to a Lucien Gaudin. Turns out to be identical. Anyway, a nice drink in the "Negroni Lite" vein.

A couple recent things: Base Camp 1 1/2 oz bourbon 1/4 oz Islay scotch 1/4 oz allspice dram 1/4 oz creme de cacao On a rock, garnished with lemon twist. I won't lie, the allspice is overwhelming, but still, it definitely coheres to something more than the sum of its parts. Gentleman's Buck 2 oz bourbon 1/2 oz lime 3/4 oz sweetened ginger juice 1 oz pineapple juice 2 dashes angostura seltzer Dry shake all but seltzer; pour into iced collins glass and top with seltzer. Perfect for yesterday's hazy, hot, humid afternoon to cool off while smoking a brisket. (Friends and Neighbors sounds amaaaaaaazing.)

Some recent drinks: Mosquito 3/4 oz mezcal 3/4 oz Campari 3/4 oz lemon 3/4 oz ginger syrup Shake with ice, strain into chilled coupe. A Sam Ross creation with his fingerprints all over it. Flavorbomb in all the good ways. Remember the Alimony (seriously?) 1 1/4 oz Cynar 1 1/4 oz Fino sherry (I had Palo Cortado on hand -- a little richer but worked for me) 3/4 oz gin Add to glass with ice (big rock if you got it). Orange twist (if you got it). Stir and savor. Lower ABV Negroni-esque option. Nice aperitif, though I wouldn't have minded a little boost in bitterness. But taken on its own terms, yes, it's a lovely drink. Rolls Royce 2 oz gin 1/2 oz sweet vermouth 1/2 oz dry vermouth 1/4 oz Benedictine Stirred, up, with lemon twist. Fabulous martini variation from Harry Craddock. Zephyr 2 oz gin 1/2 oz Cocchi Americano 1/2 oz green Chartreuse Stirred, up, lemon twist. Love this. Bracing, vegetal, backbone of sweetness on a razor-edge of bitterness. French Pearl 2 oz gin 1 oz lime 3/4 oz simple handful mint dash absinthe (Pernod per the original specs, I know) Anise-hints in a southside. What's not to love?

I did some dead simple "sweetened ginger juice" yesterday (roughly equal parts chopped ginger, sugar, water, whizzed in a blender and strained through cheesecloth), which makes for a very decent ginger beer sub when topped with seltzer. Put that to immediate use in an Imperial Buck: 2 oz blackstrap rum (Cruzan) 1/2 oz lime 3/4 oz sweetened ginger juice 1 oz pineapple 3-4 oz seltzer Shake all but seltzer without ice. Pour into iced glass, top with seltzer. Hits all the spots. Also, while knocking that back, I learned it was World Gin Day yesterday, so I followed up with: Eagle's Dream 1 1/2 oz gin (Ransom Old Tom) 1/2 oz creme de violette (Tempus Fugit (technically liqueur de violette given low sugar content, but so so good) 3/4 oz lemon 1/2 oz simple egg white Dry shake all ingredients; add ice and shake a whole lot more. Strain into chilled coupe.

These days, I see most latter-day sources calling for bianco vermouth for an Algonquin. Seems worth an evening of playing with options, bianco vs dry, to find a personal preference. I'm guessing historically, it was dry vermouth, per Wondrich. In fact, a rye cocktail seems to be just the thing for this afternoon's cocktail hour, so there we have it!

And if you wind up with some grapefruit at any point, be sure to try a Hemingway Daiquiri. Grabbed some pineapple juice yesterday to scratch my itch for a Jungle Bird -- 1 1/2 oz blackstrap rum (Cruzan) 1 1/2 oz pineapple juice 3/4 oz Campari 1/2 oz lime 1/2 oz simple Yeah, it was outrageously good. For my wife, who reflexively avoids Campari drinks, I did a Bow and Arrow: 1 oz bourbon 1 oz mezcal 3/4 oz pineapple 3/4 oz lime 1/2 oz simple

Yeah, I don't think so. Apparently the spirit just had it's 10th birthday. And we know the drink dates back at least to the early aughts during her reign at Bemelmans. Me personally, I can't bring myself to mix Monkey 47 with anything given it's price. It's damn fine enough for sipping. But... okay, fine, I'll try it, I'LL TRY IT.

Not a website, but the PDT smartphone app is pretty slick in terms of letting you enter your inventory of ingredients and filtering their database for "Recipes you can make" (and has additional filters for "Missing 1 ingredient" and "Missing 2 ingredients"). Downside is that it's the curated list of 469 drinks, but to be fair, that list includes a lot of standards, but also a lot of funky ingredients and infusions, as you might expect from PDT.

8 drops Bittermens Hopped Grapefruit bitters are not unwelcome.

Okay, here we go, conceived as a Negroni-esque riff (name still tbd): 1 1/2 oz gin (ginny gin, pls; I did Junipero; Beefeater works well too) 1 oz Suze 1/2 oz Cappelletti Apertivo Combine in mixing glass with ice; stir; strain into coupe. (Also works on a rock, but me, I like keeping the dilution level constant with Negronis and the like.)

The internet is big enough for both of you. We’re all winners. (Which is to say he posted on May 27.)