twelve gauge

3/4 oz Bourbon (Bulleit)
3/4 oz Averna
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Orange Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I added an orange twist to the recipe and double strained to remove the citrus pulp.

After returning home two Sundays ago, we were in the mood for a nightcap so I started flipping through the Cocktail Collective book which I had recently bought. I had spotted a posting about it on Jacob Grier's blog for he was the editor of this collection of both classic and modern recipes (the link contains two ways to buy it). The one that seemed to fit our mood was the Twelve Gauge by Lance Mayhew of Portland, Oregon. The recipe's entry gave no indication of why the drink was called that; I surmised that since the drink is in the Last Word vein, a twelve gauge shotgun could perhaps help to end an argument? Actually, closer than the Last Word itself would be Kevin Martin's Esprit d'Escalier and Sam Ross' Paper Airplane as these are all Bourbon, citrus, and double amari recipe.
The Twelve Gauge greeted my nose with orange and herbal aromas. Indeed, the orange continued on in the sip along with a caramel note from the Averna. On the swallow, the Campari and Averna paired up to make a delightful dark Aperol-like flavor. Moreover, the liqueurs modified the orange juice in an interesting way such that it tasted somewhere between blood orange and grapefruit juice. Lastly, the Bourbon contributed a bit of richness and helped to tie everything together without being overly distinctive.