new pal

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters
1 dash Absinthe (8 drop St. George)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Thursdays ago, I spotted a reference for the New Pal created by Jeff Hollinger & Rob Schwartz and published in their 2006 The Art of the Bar Book. It was their riff on the classic Old Pal but swapping Canadian whisky and dry vermouth for rye whiskey and sweet vermouth and adding Peychaud's and absinthe to the mix. I then found a more modern version recipe in a 2019 article in Imbibe Magazine where Meaghan Dorman at Dear Irving dried out the balance by taking the equal parts drink to a 2:1:1 format which I utilized here. With the absinthe in the mix, it made me think of Attaboy's Pin Cushion that may have been inspired by the much older gin-based Quill. In the glass, the New Pal greeted the nose with an orange and bright herbal aroma. Next, a grape-driven sip ventured towards rye, bitter orange, and cherry-anise flavors on the swallow.