chester rapkin

1 oz Sloe Gin (Atxa Patxaran)
1 oz London Dry Gin (Beefeater)
3/4 oz Campari
1/4 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass with ice. Garnish with an orange twist.

Two weeks ago after a fill-in Wednesday shift, I flipped to the nightcap section of Food & Wine: Cocktails 2015. There I found Jeremy Oertel's take on a Negroni for the Sotto Grand Hotel's menu called the Chester Rapkin. Rapkin was the urban planner who coined the abbreviation SoHo, and this tribute paired sloe gin and Campari like the Red Sea did.
The Chester Rapkin donated a bright orange oil aroma that countered the darker notes stemming from the sloe liqueur. Next, the sloe's dark berry continued on into the sip, and the swallow was rather complex with gin botanicals, Campari bitter and orange peels, and Patxaran's berry and coffee. Finally, the swallow ended with an allspice finish.