[stephen's whiskers]

3/4 oz Gin
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth
3/4 oz Dry Vermouth
3/4 oz Citronage Orange Liqueur
3/4 oz Sour Orange Juice
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and double strain into a wine glass. Twist a sour orange peel over the top.

Towards the end of dinner at Pomodoro in Brookline, bartender Stephen Shellenberger said that he had one sour orange left and asked if I wanted a cocktail made with it. When he described the fruit as having an almost lemon-like acidity to it, I was curious to taste what it could do to a cocktail as compared to regular orange juice. The recipe he selected was the classic Satan's Whiskers which has been reappearing around town lately such as at Deep Ellum where it is called McGuirk's Whiskers after the infamous Boston bartender Joe McGuirk; however, this one was going to be a lot crisper in balance due to the citrus selection.
The sour orange twist provided a clementine-like aroma, and this clementine-like note returned in the finish along with the gin botanical notes. Overall, the drink did prove to be a lot drier and more interesting than I remember the original being. Stephen commented that the Satan's Whiskers still holds true today due to the alliteration of orange notes and the tonal modifiers that tie it all together.