old friend

1 1/2 oz Beefeater Gin
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Campari
1/4 oz St. Germain (St. Elder)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Mondays ago, I was in the midst of reading Meehan's Bartender Manual when I spotted the Old Friend. Jim Meehan created this for a 2012 Chef's Club event in Aspen as a "distant cousin" of the whiskey-based Old Pal in Gin Sour format. Indeed, the recipe reminded me of Gin Sours like the Copp's Hill that pair Campari with elderflower liqueur, and the combination also made me think of a Jasmine (in the same way that Sam Ross' Sunflower is a Corpse Reviver #2 with elderflower in place of the Cointreau).
The Old Friend greeted the nose with a lemon and pine aroma with hints of citrus from either the Campari or the grapefruit juice. Next, the grapefruit filled the sip along with a fruity note from the elderflower, and the swallow proffered gin, bitter orange, and floral flavors.