Bonsoni

This is a very balanced Italian cocktail with a very Italian name. I don't love Fernet Branca as much an many people say I should. That is to say it is not always my spirit of choice and I find it difficult to work into cocktails without overwhelming everything else. But this is a simple and elegant cocktail that uses Fernet Branca sparingly and pulls of the proper balance by simply adjusting the proportions.

I recommend a rich Italian vermouth like Cocchi with this drink. For one, it keeps with the Italian theme. But it also ensures that necessary balance with the Fernet Branca. I'm using their Dopo Teatro vermouth, which is extra bitter and has a lot of oak barrel weightiness. Perfect for balancing Fernet.

• 3 oz. sweet vermouth (Cocchi Dopo Teatro used)
• 1 oz. Fernet Branca
• lemon or orange peel

Combine liquors in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist citrus zest over the drink and drop it in.

7 of Hearts

One of the Seagram's Seven cocktails associated with playing cards, the Seven of Hearts is a rich and rewarding long drink that satisfies the sweet tooth. How do you make America's smoothest whiskey even easier to drink? Add amaretto and orange juice. That's basically it.

I used Tempus Fugeit creme de noyaux as an amaretto substitute since they are basically equivalent. Since the seven of hearts is a red suit, I thought that noyaux actually made an improvement with its bright red color.

• 1 1/2 oz. Seagram's Seven Crown whiskey
• 1/2 oz. amaretto (Tempus Fugeit creme de noyaux used)
• 1 tsp grenadine
• 6 oz. orange juice

Build drink in a Collins glass by adding the first three ingredients. Then add ice and top with orange juice. Stir gently before serving. 

Gin Bolognese

I like this cocktail. I like its name, too. A kind of mix of things that are gin and also go with gin. There's something quaint and quintessentially Italian about it. First it uses Fernet Branca unabashedly and doesn't try to sweeten things up at all. Then there's the half ounce of orange bitters! A half ounce! The Gin Bolognese is by far the most dry and bitter cocktail I've ever had. And yet, it is still balanced and enjoyable. Just make sure to make it your first drink of the night.

Here MurLarkey ImaGination gin is a perfect pairing because of its basil and rosemary botanicals. I like how it accentuates the Italianness of this cocktail. 

• 1 1/2 oz. gin (MurLarkey ImaGination gin used)
• 1/2 oz. Fernet Branca
• 1/2 oz. orange bitters (homemade used, but I recommend Regan's)
• lemon twist

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist lemon zest over the glass and drop it in. 

Dubonnet Manhattan

I'm making a lot of Manhattan variations to prove that there are many ways to make this classic cocktail. This one falls in the Sweet Manhattan category, using the sweet Dubonnet Rouge instead of Italian Sweet vermouth. Vermouth and Dubonnet are both bitter wine spirits, but Dubonnet adds even more richness, and that is easy to appreciate.

I grounded this Manhattan in the U.S. with MurLarkey Heritage whiskey. So that while this is a French Manhattan, it tastes very Virginia. Heritage is a straight whiskey, but it is so different from bourbon or rye that it is kind of its own thing. It has a strong corn presence, so I felt it was ideal to use it in a drink with Dubonnet, which tends to smother base liquors in cocktails.

• 1 1/2 oz. blended whiskey (MurLarkey Heritage used)
• 1 oz. Duboennt Rouge
• maraschino cherry

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

Whiskey Curacao Fizz

Not exactly a Fizz, but very fizzy. It gets a great reception from those who are not big whiskey drinkers and are looking for something refreshing and clean tasting in the afternoon. That doesn't mean it isn't potent or full of flavor. It is bursting with vanilla and orange from the juice and curacao!

• 2 oz. blended whiskey (Seagram's Seven Crown used)
• 1/2 oz. curacao (Vitae Orange Liqueur used)
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. sugar
• club soda
• orange slice

Combine juice, sugar and liquor in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a highball glass full of ice. Top with soda and stir gently. Garnish with the Orange slice.

Parisian Manhattan

I guess you can call a Manhattan a Parisian if you use any French liqueur, but then it might not taste like a Manhattan. It depends on the flavor of that several dashes of liqueur you choose. That is why I felt that this Manhattan Variation was especially adroit!

Amer Picon is essentially an orange bitters recipe. Yes, it is a little sweeter--easier to drink by itself--but since many Manhattan recipes call for orange bitters, Picon is really an easy way to slip something French into an American classic without really changing the overall profile.

• 1 1/2 oz. blended whiskey (Seagram's Seven Crown used)
• several dashes Amer Picon
• maraschino cherry

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

Dutch Martini

This is a cocktail that kind of swings between a classic Martini with gin and a Dry Manhattan with malt whiskey. That is because Dutch genever like Bols is made (in part) with a malted barley mash that is steeped in juniper and botanicals. The juniper and herbal flavor is lighter than gin, but it also has a heavy malt body and a beery nose. So I am doing this drink because it really isn't like any other Martini, or any other cocktail for that matter.

This recipe appears in Poister's New American Bartender's Guide, 1997 edition. This was a time where vermouth was at its lowest influence, in terms of people's preference for Martinis. The recipe calls for a half teaspoon of dry vermouth, but I happen to like to use more, particularly when it is good vermouth like Carpano Extra Dry.

• 1 1/2 oz. Bols Genever 
• 1/2 tsp. dry vermouth (Carpano used)
• lemon twist

Combine liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist lemon zest over the glass and drop it in.