gingivere

Domaine De Canton Ginger Liqueur
Lemon Juice
Amer Picon
Fernet-Branca

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a long orange twist.

Last night before I was meeting friends for an event at the Roxy, I stopped in to No. 9 Park. I was rather surprised at how crowded it was at 6pm which at first surprised me since it did not seem like a big St. Patty's Day destination. However, it dawned on me that we were in the beginning of Restaurant Week (well, technically two weeks). Luckily, there was a seat at the bar for I feared that it was a diner's companion who had stepped out for a second. While looking over the menu, I remarked to Matt the bartender when I saw the Gigivere on the menu that I was surprised that they still had Amer Picon (it has not been imported for over 10 years and only a year and a half ago did a few cases turn up in a warehouse). Matt replied that they had 3 bottles left and they were not afraid to use it (up), although he did remark that this recipe uses the liqueur somewhat sparingly. Besides the new cocktails on their menu, Matt made the choice even more difficult when he told me there was just as many brand-spanking new cocktails on the Restaurant Week menu as there were on the regular cocktail menu. Oh man. While pondering it all, Matt made a little extra of a Gingivere and gave me a cordial glass with an ounce and a half or so.

The Gingivere is 3 liqueurs riding on a base of lemon juice with some orange oil to round out the drink. Overall, it was rather balanced although the lemon oil started to gain a little bit more dominance as I sipped away. My first observation was how the lemon and the ginger in the Domain de Canton made a fine pairing. Moreover, the Amer Picon, which is an orange-based amaro although very different from Cointreau or Gran Marnier, was nicely accented by the fresh orange oils. And lastly, and most surprisingly, was how the Fernet danced with the ginger flavors. The three liqueurs made more of a chord of flavor instead of the liqueurs standing out as separate notes. This is not that easy of a feat especially with Fernet-Branca.