Porteno Cocktail

     As I have just received a copy of Drink and Tell  in the mail, the published book chronicling the years and drinks of the Boston area, as well as innovative plays on the classics. I came upon The Porteno. As I am a huge fan of Fernet-Branca and Falernum respectively, of course this cocktail drew me in. 

     I whipped one up upon a challenge by a guest at the I.O. and without a doubt hand down she loved it. Now I'm even more intrigued, I must make this drink. Gathering the necessary ingredients I'm off to the kitchen. A couple quick measurements and a squeeze, a good hard shake and a strain, and we have the Porteno. 

Porteno

3/4 oz. Bourbon ( Elijah Craig 12)

1/2 oz. Fernet - Branca

1/2 oz. Cherry Heering

1/2 oz. lime juice

1/2 oz. Velvet Falernum

- shake and strain

A delicious cocktail complex on the sip highlighting all aspects of the ingredients and finishing with a lime tartness. 

Atlas Cocktail

     The drink of the night led us out of the forever loved Savoy and onto another media. Cocktaildb.com has a great database of vintage cocktails with pictures of vintage ingredients when available. Not to far in to the A's we stumble upon the Atlas Cocktail. It appears to be a delicious mix of calvados, Demerara rum with a little Cointreau and a dash of bitters.
     Unfortunately Nebraska does not yet have Demerara rum, that I am aware of, and outside of ordering a bottle a waiting a week I decided to substitute. As no other rum really compares to Demerara style I chose a favorite that is greatly mixable and go from there. And we have our rendition of the ever classic Atlas Cocktail.

   

Atlas Cocktail
1 oz. Calvados (Daron Fine)
1 oz. Demerara rum (subbed Angostura 7)
1/2 oz. Cointreau
1 dash Angostura bitters
-stir and strain into coupe

Fernet-Branca Cocktail

     Fernet-Branca, the elusive bartender's go-to. An Italian amaro with such complexity to deliver herbal, menthol, and bitter notes. Hard to explain unless you have had it and even harder to deconstruct. But the question becomes how to tame the"beast"?
     Flipping through the pages of the "Bible" as we call it; The Savoy Cocktail, I find an interesting concoction, simple in design with the right mix to make it great. The Fernet-Branca Cocktail adds just the right mix for someone desiring a bitter apertif to end the evening. Why mess up a classic?, let's savor it.

Fernet-Branca Cocktail
1 1/2 oz. gin (half Plymouth, half Hayman's Old Tom)
3/4 oz. Sweet Vermouth ( Carpano Antica)
3/4 oz. Fernet-Branca
-stir and strain

Rabo de Galo

     After purchasing a bottle of cachaca months ago I finally get around to trying the stuff out. I have had Cabana cachaca before but only simply mixed with pineapple juice and Sprite. After a few months working with prohibition- styled cocktails, I can't imagine looking back.
     With a little research on the net and filtering through a plethora of Caipirinha cocktails I come across the Rabo de Galo cocktail. The name is the literal translation of "cocktail" to Portuguese. Depending upon where in Brazil you live the mix is either 2:1 cachaca to sweet vermouth, or 2:1 cachaca to Cynar (a bitter liqueur derived from artichokes). Looking at the mix I decide the two deserve to be integrated, Let's make this cocktail complex. And thus you have my version of the Rabo de Galo.

Rabo de Galo
2 oz. Cachaca (Cabana)
3/4 oz. Sweet Vermouth (Carpano Antica)
1/4 oz. Cynar
- stir and strain
lemon twist garnish (optional)

Bich's Special

     Thumbing througth the Savoy Cocktail Book  one night at the I.O. Speak Binoy came up with a mix intriguing enough to whip up, that always happens. A play on the classic Martini cocktail that we all know and love the Bich's Special as it was called offered a mix more to my liking. A mix of gin, Kina Lillet and Angostura bitters.
   

Bich's Special 
2 oz. gin (Tanqueray)
1 oz. Kina Lillet ( Cocchi Americano)
1-2 dashes Angostura bitters
-stir and strain
expressed orange twist garnish (discard)









     A very good drink in my mind adding a tonic feel to the gin cocktail. Very well rounded smooth and with the orange oil complex and inviting.

Devilish Stare

     Playing around with the Angel Face for about the last week alot of variations came about. The first thing that was altered was switching the Calvados out for Cognac. I found the drink good but way to sweet, although the cognac was a push in the right direction. Next up was an offering by A.Hardy, a nice VSOP that we felt was a great fit. Then a surprise, the long wait was over. The new bottle of Hennessy Black came in and now we had some ideas to toss around. A conversation with Tyler, a bartender working at the Violet Hour suggested using Rothman & Winters Orchard Apricot Liqueur. Time for some mixing. After a few trails and error we found a cocktail not overly sweet but with a lot of character and depth, the perfect combination.


Devilish Stare
1 oz. Plymouth Gin
1 oz. Hennessy Black
3/4 oz. Rothman & Winters Orchard Apricot
1/4 oz. Marie Brizard Apry
-stir and strain