chestnut cup

1 oz Gin (Tanqueray)
1 oz Campari
1 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Orgeat (BG Reynolds)

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass with ice. Top with crushed ice and garnish with an orange wheel.

Two Saturdays ago, I turned to the new issue of Imbibe Magazine (March/April 2015) and spotted the Chestnut Cup that seemed like a good conceptual transition from the Kingston Cup the day before. The recipe was attributed to Raul Yrastorza of the Chestnut Club in Santa Monica; perhaps the magazine recipe was an adaptation of the house one since the bar's menu also lists "bitters" as the fifth ingredient in the description.
The Chestnut Cup offered an orange aroma from the garnish that worked well with the hint of Campari on the nose. A lemon and almond sip gave way to a gin and Campari swallow and a nutty finish. Indeed, the orgeat lent a little texture and smoothness to the drink and the nutty notes shaped the combination of gin, lemon, and Campari very differently than Cointreau in the Jasmine or passion fruit in the Novara.