tre amici

1 oz Amaro Montenegro
1 oz Punt e Mes
1 oz Martini Riserva Speciale Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
4 dash Fee's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)
1 wedge Orange (1 slice)

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.

Two Fridays ago, I reached for Dale DeGroff's The New Craft of the Cocktail book and spotted the Tre Amici that reminded me of my Tre Amari Fizz. Here, there was only one amaro with a vermouth and a vermouth-amaro as the three main players. Dale seemed to attribute the drink to George Delgado of the Greatest Bar on Earth at the Windows of the World restaurant in New York City. Windows of the World was located in the north tower of the World Trade Center, and the name perhaps alluded to Delgado's loss of friends on September 11th. The shaking with an orange slice was a technique utilized in Sam Ross' Too Soon?, Hugo Ensslin's Twin Six, and my Before the Bell where the slice donated not only juice but aromatic and bitter peel flavors to the mix.The Tre Amici presented an orange and dark grape aroma that set the stage for an orange and grape sip. Next, there was a complex bitter swallow finishing with tangerine citrus notes.