threepenny opera

1 oz Fernet Branca
1 oz Campari
1 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth (Maurin)
1 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1 pinch Salt

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and add an orange twist.

Two Thursdays ago, I began flipping through Food & Wine: Cocktails 2016 until I came upon the Threepenny Opera. The recipe was crafted by Ryan Puckett at Indianapolis' Libertine Liquor Bar as a rather amaro-heavy libation featuring the Fernet-Campari "Ferrari" combination. The musical name along with the Fernet, Campari, and vermouth trio reminded me a bit of Short & Main's Jukebox Opera that came out later that year, but here, the bitterness was mollified by a pinch of salt as was done in the Cornerman and other drinks.
The Threepenny Opera gave forth an orange aroma that met up with a hint of Fernet's menthol on the nose. Next, caramel, grape, and orange on the sip led into bitter herbal-menthol flavors on the swallow. Overall, I was impressed at how the curaçao worked with the Campari to push the balance in a citrus direction to counter the salt-quenched Fernet.