little giuseppe

2 oz Cynar
2 oz Punt e Mes
6 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)
1 bsp Lemon Juice (1/8 oz)

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a pinch of salt.

It occurred to me that I had never written up the Little Giuseppe properly here despite referencing it and listing the recipe in related cocktails. This low ABV vermouth-amaro number was created by Misty Kalkofen at Drink within a few dozen feet of where I made mine pictured below. Legend has it that it was created as a game of telephone in 2009 with Stephen Cole of the Violet Hour in Chicago who crafted his own version, the Bitter Giuseppe that I made for myself two days after this one. What is left out of that story is that Kirk Estinopal, one of Stephen's old coworkers at the Violet Hour, also generated The Search for Delicious at Cure in New Orleans and published it in the 2009 Rogue Cocktails book and later in the 2011 Beta Cocktails book; perhaps he was involved in the initial game or joined in a few weeks afterward (some articles suggest that he was aware of one or other of the Giuseppe creations before adapting his own riff). Misty's and Kirk's recipes share a little more similarity opting for Punt e Mes instead of sweet vermouth as well as the inclusion of a pinch of salt garnish.In the glass, the Little Giuseppe waved to the senses with a caramel and vegetal bouquet. Next, grape and caramel notes mingled on the sip, and the swallow rounded things off with a funky bitter-sweet flavor that mellowed out as the garnish salt dissolved into the cocktail.