[indian pale artichoke cocktail]

1 1/2 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Pimento (Allspice) Dram
2 dashes Fee's Orange Bitters
Pinch Salt
2 oz Harpoon IPA

Stir all ingredients on ice save for the beer. Strain into a coupe and float with the IPA.
After the vermouth class on Monday, I walked down to Eastern Standard to meet Andrea. I got there before her and found a pair of seats in front of Hugh Fiore. Hugh had remembered my challenge from two weeks prior for a beer-floated cocktail akin to a champagne cocktail, and this time he had prepared an answer. He took a cocktail that he had served Andrea in the past and found that the hoppiness of the IPA gave the drink some extra added notes. Indeed, the hops complemented the allspice dram and perhaps some notes of the Cynar rather well. The added carbonation brought many of the botanicals to the nose in addition to adding some added crispness to the cocktail. And while I am not a fan of salt-rimmed glasses, the pinch of salt gave the drink some extra character. Hugh's comment about this drink was that "It's kind of groovy." And veritably, it was.