riviera

1 1/2 oz Gin (Tree House Percy)
1/2 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1 Egg White

Shake one round without ice and one round with ice, strain into a Delmonico (single old fashioned) glass, and garnish with a small mint leaf and three dots of orange bitters (Angostura Orange). Two Tuesdays ago, I found the Riviera in a collection of The Violet Hour recipe flashcards under a dealer's choice folder. The SummitSips blog in 2011 attributed it to Toby Maloney circa 2008, but the author could not find it on a menu at The Violet Hour, Patterson House, or elsewhere that Toby has been associated with. That recipe had a pineapple infusion of a gin, Maraschino, and Campari batch, but here, the 2021-22 era flashcards had a simplified à la minute version utilizing pineapple juice in the mix. In the glass, the Riviera greeted the nose with a mint, orange, and cherry bouquet. Next, a creamy lemon, pineapple, and hint of cherry sip passed into pine, bitter orange, and nutty cherry flavors on the swallow. Overall, the balance was a touch too Maraschino heavy for me (despite my appreciation for Aviations), so perhaps decreasing that to 1/4 ounce, using a softer Maraschino like Maraska, or bringing up the Campari to match at a 1/2 ounce might help things out.