Thursday, December 1, 2016

my favorite things

1 oz Fernet Branca
1 oz Campari
1/2 oz Gin (Death's Door)
1 barspoon Green Chartreuse (1/8 oz)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with mint.

Two Thursdays after my work shift, I was in search of a nightcap, and I decided to revisit The Cocktail Collective book from 2010 to see if I passed over any gems. The one that called out to me was Mindy Kucan's My Favorite Things from when she was in Houston, Texas, before she moved out to Portland, Oregon. Surprisingly, this perhaps tribute to The Sound of Music song contained a completely different set of ingredients from Paul Manzelli's A Few of My Favorite Things, and it reminded me more of the Bottecchia with the Fernet Branca and Campari-forward balance.
The My Favorite Things' mint garnish added fresh complementary herbal notes to the Fernet Branca's menthol nose. Next, the Fernet's caramel paired with the Campari's orange on the sip, and the swallow began very Fernet-driven at first and then leading into Campari's bitter orange elements. Despite the brash and extreme appearance of the recipe, this would make a great digestif right after a big meal.

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