Let’s start the new year off with some drink recipes. One of these is partially mine; the other two belong entirely to others that I’ll be writing about on their behalf. Let’s get to it!
Half The DistanceStir and serve over a big effing cube.
- 1.5 oz cream stout
- 1 oz Averna
- 1 barspoon Cointreau
This drink came about as my good friend Jacob and I were brainstorming ideas for beer cocktails centered around winter beers. For this drink, we used the St. Peter’s Cream Stout. Jacob ended up preferring a “flipped” version of this drink, whereas I actually preferred it entirely spirit-based. I do love an Averna flip, but I felt that the egg muted too much of the flavor. The BFC is necessary to help sustain the temperature, and adding a bit of Cointreau is a favorite trick of mine to help round amaro cocktails out.
Staying in Portland, Allison Webber from Irving Street Kitchen created a cocktail that was in search of a name. As it turned out, I had a name in search of a cocktail.
The Better Part Of ValorStir together in ice. Wipe with an orange peel, then discard.
- 1.5 oz Martin Miller Westbourne Strength Gin
- 0.25 oz Fernet
- 0.5 oz Cocchi Americano
- 0.75 oz Amaro Nonino
As Allison was preparing this drink for me at her bar, I quipped, “You’re trying to get me dahruuuunk.” And true, it’s a very spirit forward drink, but it’s still incredibly balanced. The gin is big enough to punch through all the aromatic elements of the other half of the drink, and still delivers a nice crisp note that plays well with the amari. And while only a quarter ounce of Fernet was used, it certainly goes a long way. Note again the subtle use of orange to round out the bitter flavors.
Finally, let’s head up to Seattle where Michael Kostin of Naga (located inside the Thai restaurant Chantanee in Bellevue) created this drink as part of his One Year Anniversary menu. The thing is, I’d forgotten that I had helped come up with the drink until Stevi Deter posted a photo of it.
Diggity's DilemmaStir and garnish with an orange zest
- 1 oz Ransom Old Tom Gin
- 0.5 oz Krogstad Aquavit
- 0.75 oz Orancio
- 0.25 oz Green Chartreuse
- 2 dashes orange bitters
Unfortunately it’s been a while since I’ve had this drink, so I can’t comment on it specifically. I will say that I was on an aquavit kick at the time (another cocktail I was working on at the time would eventually become the Tramontana).
Whereas Allison’s cocktail found depth in mixing Cocchi, Fernet and Amaro Nonino, Michael’s cocktail opts to stay on the lighter side, producing a cocktail that’s more aromatically driven.
Photo credit: Stevi Deter
Unexpectedly, there’s a bit of an amaro-orange sub-theme going on with all of these drinks. Perhaps that’s just one indicator that Jacob, Allison and Michael have my palate very much dialed in.
