tasmanian twister

1 1/2 oz Gin (Beefeater)
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1 oz Pink Grapefruit Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist (used grapefruit twist instead).

On Friday night, Andrea returned home from work with a grapefruit one of her coworkers had given her from Florida. Figuring that I would have better luck looking in a newer cocktail book for a grapefruit juice recipe, I opened up Mittie Hellmich's Ultimate Bar Book and spotted one of her original recipes that looked enticing. Remembering how well Campari and grapefruit juice go together from the Shiver I had at Chez Henri, the Tasmanian Twister seemed like a good choice for a drink to christen the 2009 drinks-on-the-deck season (we have a 2nd floor deck overlooking a semi-major street which was one of the impetuses for starting to mix at home one summer).

Andrea's first comment was how beautiful the color of the drink was. The combination of the reddish colors from the sweet vermouth, Campari, and pink grapefruit juice was quite stunning. The grapefruit nose started the drink with the Campari's herbal notes following up on the sip. The Campari and grapefruit worked just as well here as it did in the Shiver with the Campari complementing the grapefruit's delightful tartness. By the end of the drink, I was still pondering Tasmanian Twisters' name but fully convinced by its recipe.