campeche

1 1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Gin (Cascade Mountain)
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Peach Syrup (recipe) (*)
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
(*) Sub crème de peche or peach liqueur in a pinch.

For Mixoloseum's Thursday Drink Night two weeks ago, the theme was dry vermouth. Instead of using it as an accent like I did in the first recipe I crafted that evening, I utilized it as the base. To that, I added the pairing of peach and Campari notes which worked rather well in the Bitter Peach. Finally, a little gin and a dash of Peychaud's Bitters donated extra herbal notes and alcohol backbone to the recipe. Taking a page from one of the naming conventions in the Café Royal Cocktail Book and Approved Cocktails, I called this aperitif cocktail the Campeche after the two central flavors in the drink.
The orange twist contributed greatly to the Campeche's aroma. The dry vermouth's citrus and the syrup's peach notes in the sip led into Campari and gin on the swallow and Peychaud's anise on the finish. Overall, the drink came across like an lighter strength peach Negroni.