brut

1 1/2 oz Foro Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1 1/2 oz Cocchi Barolo Chinato or Bonal Quinquina (Bonal)
1 dash Absinthe (1 scant bsp Butterfly)
2 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Tuesdays ago, I began thumbing through Frank Caiafa's The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book and spotted the Brut that seemed like a delightfully light aperitif. The recipe was the bar's modern take of the one published in their 1935 bar book that called for Calisaya as the quinquina; while Calisaya has become available again, it is still harder to find than the two proposed quinquinas. The 1935 book in the pre-Prohibition cocktails section offered the history of, "An extremely 'dry' cocktail. 'Brut' (French) means 'raw.' Many customers pronounce it 'Brute,' and so thought it."
The Brut put forth a lemon and anise bouquet to the nose that preceded a semi-dry grape sip. Next, grape, anise, orange, and quinine flavors rounded out the swallow to make for a delightful aperitif or, in this case, a great low proof nightcap.