Grand Street (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

This cocktail is the perfect mash up between a Martinez and a Negroni. If it sounds like that would be a mouthful of bitterness, it is. But I would say that it is the most pleasing thing made with gin an amari that I've had lately, and that includes a few Negroni variations. Part of it is the intensity and part of it is the way the grapefruit twist leaves a lovely scent on the surface that leaves you ill prepared for what lies beneath.

Punt E Mes is a wine-based apartivo that is like the most bitter form of vermouth you can get. It is super rich. Cynar 70 is the more intense version of the bitter artichoke liqueur, and Luxardo, while lifting in its almond-like maraschino notes, is pretty bitter despite its sugar content. Blend these three things in a rich Martini and you have the Grand Street--an homage to the pretty New York street.

• 1 grapefruit twist
• 2 oz. dry gin (MurLarkey ImaGination used)
• 3/4 oz. Punt E Mes
• 1/4 oz. Cynar
• 1 tsp. Luxardo maraschino

Muddle the grapefruit twist in a mixing glass before adding liquid ingredients. Stir with ice and strain into a chilled coupe.

House of Payne (Death & Co.)

 

I'm not sure if this cocktail obliquely references Thomas Payne or if the bartender was punning on the hip-hop group and the feeling most Negronis give your tongue from their bitterness. I do know that I love Negronis and raspberries but never considered mixing the two. 

One thing I love about muddling raspberries in a stirred cocktail is that they impart their clear red juice into the spirits and you can just strain out the seeds and pulp and no one would be the wiser. It is as if you used a non-alcoholic raspberry liqueur! The color of this Negroni is impressive, and the berry juice gives it a sweeter texture than you expect. I can't believe I just made this in my mixing glass and not a shaker, but doing so would mean making a cloudy Negroni. That I just can't do.

• 3 raspberries
• 1 1/2 oz. London dry gin (Bloom used)
• 1 oz. Plymouth sloe gin (Mr. Boston used)
• 1 oz. Campari 
• 1 raspberry garnish

Muddle 3 raspberries in a mixing glass before adding liquid ingredients and ice. Stir and double strain over a single cube of ice in an Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with one raspberry on a cocktail pick.

Bitter French (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

This cocktail is a basic mash-up of a Negroni and a French 75. I happened to have a bottle of brut cava last weekend and put it to good use in five cocktails. This one was immediately fascinating because I like both of the cocktails that this recipe is derived from. 

• 1 oz. gin (MurLarkey ImaGination used)
• 1/4 oz. Campari
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz simple syrup
• dry champagne
• 1 grapefruit twist 

Combine gin, Campari, lemon juice and simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled champagne flute and top with champagne. 

 

La Dolce Vita (Death & Co. Recipe)

Like a Boulivardier or Negroni but with fun rye and St-Germain. That's how I think of this cocktail; and it was really enjoyable as a simple, ruby-colored cocktail that was both easy to make and easy to drink.

 

The think that makes this drink stand out is the infusion of chamomile tea into the rye. I used Republic of Tea's Chamomile Lemon tea (which doesn't have the acidity of actual lemon but lemon balm instead.) Rye and chamomile have really complementary flavors--not unlike apples and cinnamon--but spicy with alcoholic kick. This is balanced with sweet floral St-Germain and given bitter traction and an attractive look by the hefty pour of Campari. This drink, like life, is beautiful!

• 2 oz. chamomil-infused Rittenhouse rye (with Republic of Tea Chamomile Lemon)
• 3/4 oz. Campari
• 1/2 oz. St-Germain

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain over a large format ice in an Old Fashioned glass. 

 

Jager Negroni (Difford's Guide Recipe)

 

It may surprise you, but I love Jagermeister. I didn't always (that's not surprising) but not for the reason that most people who dislike Jager say--"it's the taste." It wasn't the taste I disliked, it was they way people would just shoot it, as if trying to get past the taste.

I think that I didn't appreciate Jager before I had it to compare with other Alpine spirits, as if my problem with Jager was that I viewed it as a stand-alone product with a weird flavor. When taken as a group with Chartreuse, Strega, various Italian Amari and other German Alpine spirits, Jager makes a lot of sense. They compliment each other in a Negroni, which is usually an Italian Campari drink. 

This Negroni variation tastes like Jagermeister--it's sweeter with licorice root, cinnamon and citrus flavors. It breaks out of the ultra bitter and dry Negroni mold and causes you to do a double take. It might also force you to reevaluate your dislike of Jager.

• 3/4 oz. dry gin (homemade used)
• 3/4 oz. sweet vermouth (Cocchi di Torino used)
• 3/4 oz. Jagermeister
• 1/4 sweet Italian amaro (Don Ciccio & Figli Ambrosia used)
• Orange slice

Build the drink in a double Old Fashioned glass full of fresh ice and stir before garnsihing with the orange slice.

Rosita's Cafe (Original Recipe)

 

I liked the idea of a coffee Negroni, the way that bitterness of the coffee can accentuate the sweet and vanilla notes of sweet vermouth. Then I thought, "what about tequila?"

Corralejo is my favorite reposado. It is soft and round with caramal notes. I felt that orange bitterness for this cocktail, like the coffee and orange flavors in a Spanish Coffee, would be a great way to play up the caramel of the tequila. So I picked my homemade Amer Picon, but amari like Montenegro or Ramazzotti will work.

Coffee comes in the form of yet another spirit: MurLarkey coffee whiskey. This is coffee beans steeped directly into the whiskey while it rests in the barrel. There's no added sugar in the coffee whiskey, so it can be very bitter by itself, but using it instead of cold coffee keeps your cocktail stiff and prevents it from clouding up.

• 1 1/2 oz. Corralejo tequila
• 1 oz. MurLarkey coffee whiskey
• 3/4 oz. Amer Picon
• 12 oz. Cocchi di Torino

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Sitr and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 

Oh, Cicilie! (Difford's Guide Recipe)

What a lovely rocks sipping cocktail! Part Negroni and part Old Fashioned, this drink combines the bitter citrus of sweet Italian Amaro and French Amer Picon with spicy angostura bitters and gin.  Of course I've made a lot of these ingredients, like the Amer Picon, of course, and a dry gin. I'm also showing off Don Ciccio & Figili's Ambrosia. This is a nice stand-in for Aperol, but has a more honeyed citrus flavor. 

The cocktail drinks like an Old Fashioned, but the richness and spice of that classic drink opens up in the sip to citrus bitterness and honey. I love the thoughtful addition of a grapefruit twist, which really offsets the bitter orange of the Amer Picon. As stiff as Oh, Cicilie! is, I can see it being a nice afternoon aperitif cocktail, something to wet your appetitie for dinner. 

• 1 1/2 oz. dry gin (homemade used)
• 3/4 oz. Aperol (Don Ciccio & Figili Ambrosia used)
• 3/4 oz. sweet vermouth (Cocchi di Torino used)
• 1/4 oz. Amer Picon (homemade used)
  
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• grapefruit zest

Combine all liquid ingredients in a mixing glass full of ice. Stir and strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass full of fresh ice. Twist the grapefruit zest over the glass and drop it in.