preakness

1 1/2oz Rittenhouse 100
3/4oz sweet vermouth
1/4oz Benedictine
dash Angostura bitters

Garnish with a lemon twist. Recipe: cocktailDB

Ah yes, my sort of drink! Warm and fuzzy and lovely with a hint of a bite from the Rittenhouse.

twentieth century

1 1/2 oz gin
3/4 oz lemon juice
3/4 oz Lillet
1/2 oz creme de cacao (or?)
Bittermen's mole bitters

recipe: Cocktail Chronicles. See postnote below for Green Street's recipe.

I asked for this drink at Green Street because it seems like everyone I know who wanted to try the mole bitters ended up getting this drink from Misty and lurved it... When it arrived I remembered why I hadn't yet asked for it: lemon juice. Ah well. For what it was, it was quite lovely and balanced and light. But that damn lemon juice does not play well with my teeth. Sigh. Such an old lady!

Postnote: Green Street's recipe is 1 1/2 oz gin, 1/2 oz creme de cacao, 1/2 oz Lillet blanc, 1/2 oz lemon, lemon twist.

[unnamed yummy]

(I'm going through my little notebook from the past month, and my memory leaves something to be desired)

Rittenhouse 100
Punt e Mes
Apry

garnished with a flamed orange peel.

This must have been a Eastern Standard drink from Jackson, who never seems to name anything. Based upon the ingredients, I must have liked it!

:: what happened to February? ::

I seem to be falling into a rut of ordering something I already know and like when I go out (which, admittedly, has not been so often in recent weeks). I haven't really been making drinks at home either and I'm not sure why! Going through the cocktail blogs I enjoy however, seems to indicate a similar trend: fewer posts. So I really don't know.

But Spring is coming, dammit. I saw the first snowdrops lifting their heads today! And as a new cocktailian-type, I'm looking forward to Summer and a whole new group of drinks to explore and imbibe. I'm going to try to catch up as best I can on what I've missed now.

:: bittermens bitters in SFGate ::

Couple take small-batch bitters in new directions

Great little article! It fails to mention that you can also try the bitters here in Boston at Green Street, as well as the other two locations mentioned in the story.

hanky panky

1 part gin
1 part sweet vermouth
barspoon of Fernet Branca
orange garnish

Let it be noted that Tommy @ Eastern Standard pours an extremely generous barspoon of Fernet if you ask nicely!

Very nice drink here, full of some of my favorite things. Warm, but not at all heavy. Quite easy to drink.

red carpet

1 1/2oz rye
3/4oz Amaro
1/2oz Aperol

Kit found this in the end-of-night log they keep at the Standard: it's where new drinks that seem interesting end up, and sometimes migrate onto the actual print menu. Nicely spicy, but the Aperol gives a sweetness that stands up to the herbals in a way you wouldn't expect from a wussy 22 proof liqueur. Good followup to my previous drink.

[herbal lovely thing]

1oz Fernet-Branca
1oz Amer Picon
1oz Yellow Chartreuse
dash Mole bitters from Bittermens
flamed lemon twist

The secret to having your blog stalked and then having your entries posted on a Facebook group is to mention Bittermens. Hi, Avery! :)

I was at the Standard with my surrogate husband R. last night (Husband is suffering from whatever it is everyone seems to have caught) and wanted something that involved both Fernet and Mole bitters. Jackson gave me this and I really, really am into this drink. You would think that it would taste only of Fernet -- and it is the major player here -- but it doesn't get overwhelming. That yellow Chartreuse has way more balls than I gave it credit for. Really a fabulous drink that deserves a name.

:: an ode to fernet-branca ::

Oh Fernet, yummy Fernet. I was inextricably connected to you the moment I first tasted you on my tongue. I have done things I never thought I would -- I learned how to take a shot! -- just for you. Your scent tickles and arouses, and the way you touch me! It is as if you are in my mind. You utterly disarm me. I have personally consumed an amount that must range into the liters now, and I do hope we can maintain this relationship forever because I just cannot live without you in my life. I love you.

I've been having trouble sleeping for weeks now, but last night? One little shot and I slept and slept peacefully. Tummyaches are eased away. I've allowed myself to get pleasantly schnockered in short order on occasion, with no ill effect (note: I have never had a hangover in my life, so this could just be me). One of the best compliments I've ever received was being told that "this stuff tastes like you smell" (I tend towards odd, spicy essential oil blends). And, oh, with chocolate? So so very good along with chocolate. The question remains: why am I drinking coffee right now?

Wikipedia
The Myth of Fernet
Distillerie Fratelli Branca