riccardo

3/4 oz Del Maguey Crema de Mezcal
3/4 oz Cherry Heering
3/4 oz Orange Juice
3/4 oz Cinzano Sweet Vermouth
3 dash Chili Flake Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a cherry.

For my last drink at Coppa on Wednesday night, I asked bartender Ian to make me the Riccardo which seemed like an interesting twist on the Blood and Sand. Given that the Blood and Sand is named after a movie about bullfighting in Mexico, Mezcal and chili definitely seemed to make more sense than the original's Scotch. I wondered whether the Riccardo was named after a character in the movie so I asked bar manager Corey Bunnewith about the drink. Corey explained that it was named after a South End real estate guy who ordered enough of these concoctions to have the drink named after him. Apparently, this gentleman is as bright, cheerful, spicy, and full of life as the drink itself.
The Riccardo started with an almost Scotch-like nose due to the smoke notes in the Mezcal. The agave flavors appeared at the beginning of the sip, the orange and cherry notes in the middle, and the Mezcal's smoke on the swallow. Moreover, the chili pepper syrup generated a lingering tingle at the back of the throat after each swallow. Corey explained that the chili flake syrup was lightly flavored which was why the pepper notes did not come across as a burning heat on the tongue instead.

italian witch doctor

1 1/2 oz Giovi Grappa with Stinging Nettles & Lemon Peel
1/2 oz Becherovka
1/2 oz Honey Syrup (3:1)
2 dash Fee's Chocolate Bitters
1 pinch Maldon Sea Salt

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Twist a lemon peel over the top.
For my second cocktail at Coppa on Wednesday night, I asked bartender Ian to make me the Italian Witch Doctor. When I asked bar manager Corey Bunnewith about the grappa and what went into the infusion, I learned that he was using a pre-flavored grappa and he offered us a taste. The Giovi grappa was rather amazing. It started with a lemon bite at the beginning, a stinging bitterness at the end, and a milky aspect that mellowed it out. In the Italian Witch Doctor, the flavored grappa paired up nicely with another herbal ingredient, the Becherovka liqueur, which is full of cinnamon, anise, and clove notes. The pairing of Becherovka with honey reminded me of Eastern Standard's Metamorphosis, and the honey donated a glorious richness to the drink without making it too sweet. Perhaps it was the pinch of sea salt that helped to shift the drink away from seeming as sweet; this addition might have relieved the need to add a sour flavor to the drink to balance the sweetness level. While the honey did smooth out the drink, the clove and nettle flavors were still noticeable on the swallow along with the chocolate note from the bitters.

marconi wireless no. 2

2 1/4 Clear Creek Eau de Pome
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Punt e Mes

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass.

On Wednesday, I met Andrea in the South End after her hair appointment and our plan was to finally visit Coppa. We had delayed a trip over there due to the crowds and to the long walk from the subway that seemed daunting in the winter months. Alas, with this weather, the walk was rather pleasant, and with a short wait, we had a pair of seats at the bar. One of the interesting aspects of Coppa's bar is that the establishment has a limited cordial and liqueur and not a full liquor license. Therefore, certain verboten spirits were represented symbolically in syrups, infusions, or other substitutions. What makes this aspect succeed so well is head bartender Corey Bunnewith's classical training at the Culinary Institute of America which gives him some extra tools and ideas with which to work. It seemed like Andrea was more drawn to Corey's chef-tender concoctions like her first drink, a Tangerine Batida, which was a combination of tangerine, dulce de leche, toasted pignole, and xanthum gum-thickened Cabana Cachaca.
For my first drink, I asked bartender Ian to make me the Marconi Wireless No. 2 off of their cocktail menu. Corey described the drink as a combination of the original Marconi Wireless and a Green Point. Corey commented that people were a little taken aback by his green (instead of yellow) Chartreuse-containing Green Point, but I reassured him that I have seen and had it both ways. What I found more odd than his inclusion of Green Chartreuse in this chimera was the absence of orange bitters which is one of the major flavors to me in the Marconi Wireless as well as an ingredient in my preferred Green Point recipe. Since Corey could not use applejack or Calvados due to the licensing, he utilized an apple eau de vie instead.

The interplay of green Chartreuse and Punt e Mes in this drink was rather interesting. The combination donated an almost Fernet Branca-like hint, and the Punt e Mes seemed to mellow out the sharper notes in the Chartreuse. The apple flavor was a bit more subtle and appeared more on the swallow than on the sip like a Calvados would.