consigliere

1 1/4 oz Branca Menta
1 1/4 oz Cocchi Americano
3/4 oz Meletti Anisette
1/2 oz Lime Juice
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a Single Old Fashioned glass. Twist a grapefruit peel over the top and discard.

Every once in a while, there's a drink recipe that passes in front of you and you shake your head. Then, people start either talking about it or ordering it followed by re-ordering it. The Consigliere is one of them. At Russell House Tavern, bar manager Ashish Mitra crafted the Consigliere with what seemed like odds and ends of our liquor stock. While seemingly no one ordered the drink at first after it appeared on the menu, the drink has begun to take off with people ordering more than one in a sitting. Ashish described his drink as, "Named as such due to the abundance of Italian ingredients. Consigliere means 'advisor' in Italian, but the connotation is dark. Smooth on the surface, but packing a punch just underneath." That dark connotation is that it often describes counselor positions to leadership in the Italian or American mafia, and the term came part of the modern lexicon due to The Godfather movies.
The Consigliere began with bright grapefruit oil aromas complemented by the minty notes from the Branca Menta. Lime and caramel on the sip gave way to a smooth herbal swallow with mint, anise, and menthol flavors. Overall, it the Consigliere was cleansing but balanced and gentle, and it reminded me of a more complex Southside of sorts. I can definitely see why people order more than one now.