Rittenhouse Square

The cocktail contains no Rye, so I assume Rittenhouse Square refers to the open-space, planned park designed by William Pen in Philadelphia. That makes this a colonial drink, and with cognac and French spirits, it is well within that style.

One change up to the recipe is that when it calls for anisette and I used Aguardiente. With a recipe with a dash of anisette you can't go wrong with Ricard. It is intensely herbal and has a cooling effect on ordinarily spicy spirits. I wanted that flavor in this cocktail, but I didn't want Ricard's drawbacks. One is that it overwhelms, and I wanted the orange flavor of triple sec to come through. The other is that it is cloudy when chilled, and I needed the drink to remain darkly transparent like a good cognac cocktail. 

Because the recipe called for a half ounce of anisette, I decided that it meant an anise infused sugar spirit (one of the definitions of anisette, because there are absinthe-style anisettes and sweet, lower-proof ones.) Thus, Aguardiente--the anise is more like a cinnamon and anise candy and it doesn't overwhelm or cloud up. Here's to keeping Rittenhouse Square clear!

• 1 1/2 oz. cognac (Martel single distillery used)
• 1 oz. curacao (triple sec used--and that's fine with Aguardiente, a rum-based spirit)
• 1/2 oz. anisette (Aguardiente used with a dash of Ricard. 
• maraschino cherry

Combine spirits in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherry. 

 

Junior League

It's less important which whiskey you choose when you use a large portion of anisette in a cocktail. Blended whiskey (often understood as Irish whiskey) is as good an option as any. The point is that it gets out of the way and allows you to inexpensively up the volume and alcohol content of a drink with a distinctive flavor. 

Anisette, as I understand it, is a sweetened anise liqueur. It comes in strong or sugary varieties: the strong anisettes are absinthe substitutes that get cloudy when they touch water while the sugary ones are more like cordials, less bitter and more like anise candy than licorice. Both are sweet, but the sweeter Aguardiente from Columbia is a lower proof and very sweet sugar-based liqueur. It is a good choice for a cocktail in which you don't want to overwhelm with anise. 

This recipe is designed for new drinkers. It shouldn't offend with herbal bitterness or alcoholic burn, and it doesn't. I like how I could taste the sherry barreling of the Slane Irish whiskey under the prickle of Aguardiente. The drink was slightly sweet with a cinnamon-like burn. I feel that this cocktail is a classy antidote to Fireball.      

• 1 1/2 oz. blended whiskey (Slane Irish whiskey used)
• 1 oz. anisette (Aguardiente used)
• maraschino cherry garnish

Combine liquors in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with the cherry.