Behold. Enjoy. I hope. You’ll learn to make an adult beverage!
If you did enjoy, then make the drink I teach how to make. If you didn’t ditto.
The Little Iowa
adapted from a cocktail I was taught by a “a nice bar man” at Bar Ama aka home of the best queso outside Texas
2 1/2 oz. Templeton Rye
1/2 oz. sweet vermouth (I used Martini and Rossi)
3/4 oz. Cynar
frozen red grapes to finish
Stir over ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with frozen grapes.
Feel the Iowa.
I wanted to invent some drinks that were all my own. I wanted to use up some herbs and bottles of alcohol that had little left. And I wanted to put my bottle of Cynar to the task.
So I came up with two new drinks, to be debuted at the pie and cocktails party Alice and I were hosting.
I gave these cocktails the names of Using What You Got and The Big Red Cat.
The Big Red Cat is in reference to the kids’ books about the big red dog, who is named Clifford. As am I. But puppy I am not. Actually I am part cat. I want to be petted and loved but only when I want to be. And I like to snooze all day. Insomniac here.
Is it just me or is snooze a kitty word? Speaking of kittens:
That was early in the day last Saturday. The kitten rescue has actual kittens (as opposed to adult cats) right now. I tried to take better pictures but they were not keen on staying still.
Later that night Alice and I partayed with pie, friends, and very, very potent drinks. It did not occur to me that a lot of my friends were mostly beer and wine people and not used to my potent beverages.
I handed Alice a The Big Red Cat and her first analysis was that it tasted like a drink she’d get at a bespoke bar like No Vacancy. Well, it was.
Some were particularly pleased with the limoncello and ginger liqueur additions.
My friend Maurice just said the same thing he says any time I hand him a drink involving bourbon which is “tastes like cough syrup”. The man pours Tabasco on everything and and approximately zero taste buds left. We gave him a glass of mulled wine that Alice made instead.
My English Farmhouse Cheddar Pie, taken from Savory Pies by Greg Henry was demolished in about ten minutes. A friend showed up with apples and I crafted them into a pie, schooling all who were interested in how to form lattice.
This is my social life of choice.
Let’s drink to that.
The Using What You Got
2 oz. Bourbon
1/2 oz. Limoncello
3/4 oz. Cynar
2-3 dashes chocolate Aztec bitters
3 sprigs of thyme plus one to garnish.
Muddle thyme, limoncello, bitters, and Cynar. Add ice and bourbon. Stir. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a thyme sprig.
The Big Red Cat
1/2 oz. Campari
1/2 oz. Cynar
1 oz. Rye
1 oz. Dry vermouth
2-3 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters
1 tsp. ginger liqueur
Stir it all over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add one giant ice cube.
Last week, like a dutiful parent, I left you guys with a sandwich, whilst I went out to cavort over craft cocktails for my birthday. One of said cocktails had Cynar in it. Which is my new bar toy. So I’m bringing the party back to you this week. Sandwich not included.
I get obsessive with particular ingredients and with particular recipes. After buying this beauteous bottle of Cynar ( a bittersweet artichoke liqueur), I scoured the web for appealing recipes.
The recipe obsession with Cynar is less time consuming, but more dangerous than, say, the Summer of Tamale Pie I once weathered, or Autumn of Chia Seed I’m about to embark on. But it is at least as exciting as my Annual Pumpkin Weeks in Spring.
This recipe also taught me something: even wicked things are good in small amounts. The wicked thing of which I refer to is my loathed gin. I actually like gin in this recipe, which I found on The Straight Up. Campari is the main alcohol, or base spirit (and we all know alcohol is oh-so base) in it and the herbal gin plays off it in a very subtle way.
I was also excited for this recipe since it would use my other new bar toy: big ol’ bottle of Fernet Branca.
I’ve no idea why this is named after Eeyore being as it is a merry red color, and makes me happy.
But now I have a very good reason to visit the Violet Hour in Chicago, the bar Toby Maloney created the drink for. Not that I lacked reason to go before. I’ve heard good things about that place.
Oh, the places I’ll go.
Eeyore’s Requiem (based on this recipe)
1.5 oz. Campari
.5 oz. gin (I used Bombay Dry)
.25 oz. Fernet Branca
.25 oz. Cynar
.5 oz. white vermouth (they call for Dolin Blanc, I used Martini and Rossi)
15 drops of orange bitters
3 orange twists
Stir all but the twists over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist your twists over the drink to get the oils out and discard. Sip.
Scrumptious Gruel 