urban anxiety

1 oz Cachaça (Seleta Gold)
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Dolin)
3/4 oz Cynar
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Flame a grapefruit peel (omitted flaming) over the top and drop in for garnish.

Two Tuesdays ago, I found the Urban Anxiety as I flipped through the 75th anniversary edition of the Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide. The recipe was created by Aaron Defeo of Casino Del Sol in Tucson, Arizona, and it came across as a cachaça Negroni variation of sorts. With the Cynar in the mix, it reminded me a lot of Jacob Grier's Midnight Shift and Eastern Standard's pisco-based El Capitan (which I had misremembered as a cachaça drink when I was making my notes).
The Urban Anxiety presented a grapefruit oil nose over grassy grape aromas. A caramel and grape sip was followed by a grassy swallow that blended elegantly into the Cynar's herbal notes. Finally, the swallow finished with a cinnamon-like spice.