sad waltz of pietro crespi

1 1/4 oz Lustau Brandy
3/4 oz Rabarbaro Zucca Amaro
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Pedro Ximenéz Sherry
5 drop Sherry Vinegar

Stir with ice and strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube. Garnish the ice cube with a pinch of salt.

Two Thursdays ago, I made use of my night off by traveling down to the Kenmore Square area. My first stop was Straight Law where bartender Julien Urraca was doing his weekly shift to break up his Brick & Mortar routine. For a cocktail, I requested the Sad Waltz of Pietro Crespi which Julien credited Sean Sullivan as the creator. I was drawn to the name because it reminded me of Misty Kalkofen's A Slow Dance with Pedro Infante. Had I read Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, I would have been drawn to the name by connection to the tragic love triangle aspect.
The Sad Waltz of Pietro Crespi began with a raisiny grape aroma with herbal notes. The grape-laden sip possessed a rich mouthfeel, and the swallow progressed into raisin and herbal flavors ending in a dry and crisp note from the vinegar. As the salt integrated into the drink, the herbal elements on the swallow got progressively smoother.

albariza

1 oz Lustau Manzanilla Sherry
1/2 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Salers Gentiane Liqueur
1 dash Orange Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a flute glass. Top with 2 to 2 1/2 oz cava and garnish with a long lemon twist.
Two Fridays ago, I found my way over to Straight Law for a drink. There, I asked bartender Sean Sullivan for the Albariza on the menu. Sean explained that this was his submission to the Vino de Jerez competition; it was "basically a Sour with manzanilla and topped with cava... a French 75 of sorts." The drink name is a tribute to the clay, calcium, and sea fossil soil of the sherry growing region in Spain. Albariza is what helps to define sherry grapes from the minerality of the soil to reflecting light back to to the vines to help them grow faster. Once in the glass, the Albariza cocktail presented a lemon, earthy, and floral aroma with notes of dry white wine. Next, a crisp and carbonated lemony sip gave way to an elegant swallow where earthy gentian flavors melded rather well with those of the sherry.

moi?

1 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Crème de Cassis
1/4 oz Anchor Junipero Gin
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a Highball glass with ice. Top with 2-3 oz tonic water and add a straw.
Two Wednesdays ago, I ventured down to Straight Law for dinner after my day shift. For a drink, I asked bartender Sean Sullivan for the Moi? which seemed like a refreshing highball that fit quite nicely with their riffs on Spanish gin & tonic variations. I was able to locate the recipe in Gary Regan's The Bartender's Bible: 1001 Mixed Drinks but was not able to track it back any further. Perhaps the French aspect, besides the pair of French ingredients, could be attributed to the dry vermouth, cassis, and gin Parisian Cocktail that appears in the Savoy Cocktail Book. Once prepared, the Moi? offered a juniper aroma from the robustly accented gin. A tart lemon and dark berry-like currant sip led into a sweeter quinine and juniper-laden swallow with a tart lemon finish.

cooperstown

1 3/4 oz Plymouth Gin
1/2 oz Cinzano Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
6-8 leaf Mint

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Tuesdays ago, I headed over to Straight Law after work. For a drink idea, bartender Sean Sullivan suggested a Cooperstown. While I have had other wine-forward mint libations such as the Greenbriar Cocktail, I never have had this one despite spotting it several cocktail books. The recipe dates back to the mid-1910s with appearances in books by Hugo Ensslin and Tom Bullock (albeit with the dry vermouth left out in the latter). Robert Vermeire in 1922 strangely provides some history of "This drink is very popular amongst the cowboys in America." I know that the Straight Law drink concepts and bar name stem from The Savoy Cocktail Book where this drink also appears.
The Cooperstown offered a juniper-driven nose that led into a light grape sip. On the swallow, the gin's botanicals pleasantly melded with the mint herbal notes. Indeed, the mint elevated the drink beyond a Perfect Martini to new ground just like it did to the Negroni in Count Camillo's Derby.

artist special (variation)

1 oz Soberano Spanish Brandy
1 oz Valdespino Palo Cortado Sherry
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Grenadine

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
The last drink that I had at Straight Law was a variation on the whisky-based Artist Special that first appeared in the Savoy Cocktail Book. The book provided the history of, "This is the genuine ‘Ink of Inspiration’ imbibed at the Bal Bullier Paris. The recipe is from the Artists Club, Rue Pigalle, Paris." The three major changes from the classic were swapping the whisky base to Spanish brandy, changing from the hard to find (but not impossible to make) groseille syrup to grenadine, and stirring instead of shaking this citrus-laden libation. To compare and contrast, Sean also made me an Old Overholt Rye version to see what the Spanish brandy brings to the table.
The Artist Special shared a fruity aroma from the grenadine and sherry, and this element was greater in the brandy version than in the rye one. A grenadine, lemon, and grape sip shifted to a smooth and elegant sherry and brandy swallow. I have to assume that the stirring instead of shaking change played a role in making this a more contemplative sipper.

cappelletti smash

2 oz Cappelletti Aperitivo
1/2 Lemon (cut into 6 pieces) (*)
2 heaping tsp Sugar

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a mint sprig and add straws.
(*) Sometimes made with lime as well.

Two Mondays ago, I traveled down to the Kenmore area after work to stop in at Straight Law opened by Drink alumni Sean Sullivan with help from Will Thompson. Sean is the sole bartender for the six nights a week the establishment is open, and the space flows smoothly between Taberno de Haro and the bar. Luckily, for food the restaurant's full menu is available, and the tapas and flavors meld with the drink styles and size rather well. Many of Straight Laws drinks feature sherry -- between the Spanish restaurant it cohabitates with and the cocktail from the Savoy Cocktail Book that it is named after. While I started with a 50-50 Martini as my post-shift drink, I next selected the Cappelletti Smash, a Smash inspired by by Dominic Venegas' Aperol one. Cappelletti is a bitter liqueur with herbal and orange notes that falls in the middle of Aperol, Campari, and sweet vermouth; I was first introduced to the spirit at Backbar via their Transatlantic Scaffa.
The Cappelletti Smash began with a mint and herbal aroma. A sweet lemon sip was countered by a lightly bitter, herbal grape swallow. Overall, the Smash was perfect for the rather hot day, and it was a joy to drink as the breeze blew through the restaurant from the back door out to the patio.