I'm just going to go ahead and assume that whatever little fantasy you entertained about going booze-free for the month of January went out the window the moment you set foot back in your lab/office and came to grips with the mountain of work awaiting you, am I right? It's OK! You're amongst friends. And speaking of friends, tonight we're making an Old Pal--winter's Negroni, you might say.
I may have my gripes about NJC, but I will admit that they have one or two cocktail dens whose bartenders are up to snuff. Naturally, my favorite is exceedingly popular, and you can only get in without a wait if you go at, say, 5pm on a Sunday. But it was on just such a Sunday afternoon that I was introduced to the Old Pal, and my life has never been the same since.
Look, we all love a nice Manhattan, but sometimes they're just too sweet for me, even with rye instead of bourbon. The Old Pal takes rye, dry vermouth, and Campari and makes this perfectly non-sweet, fairly bitter aperitif that warms you up without giving you cavities. If you'd like it a little sweeter, you can swap out bourbon for rye and sweet vermouth for dry*, and then it's called a Boulevardier. Also lovely.
Let's make one!
2 oz rye whiskey (Rittenhouse or Old Overholt are solid affordable options)
3/4 oz dry vermouth
3/4 oz Campari
dash orange bitters
Thoroughly stir all ingredients with ice in a shaker, and then strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a nice big orange peel (they're in season!).
* a word about vermouth. I just want to make sure you all understand that it's fortified wine, right? Which means that you can't just keep a half-used bottle on the shelf with the rest of your booze for a year or whatever and then decide one day to make a Manhattan--it's gone bad at that point, and your Manhattan will taste like poop. I recommend buying it in small bottles, and keeping opened ones in the fridge. Chilled, an opened bottle will be good for maybe a month. After that, toss it and get a new one, it's like $5.
Dr Becca has a new job (NJ) as a tenure-track assistant professor in the neurosciences at New Job University (NJU), located in New Job City (NJC). She is still fumbling, just making a little more money doing it.
That looks good, but I don't have any Campari on hand. Also, I just recently discovered that vermouth should be stored in the fridge.
I've been big on this drink recently: http://fiveoclockcocktails.com/2011/10/20/the-derby/
that. looks. awesome. WANT!
yum! Thanks for the tip on Vermouth, I should probably replace our bottle.
I usually order a perfect Manhattan, which is equal parts sweet and dry vermouth. Seems to solve the overly sweet problem, most places.
But I applaud you opening up our horizons. This looks like one to try!
Dear god how I love you Dr. Becca. Can you please teach me to be a better, higher-class drinker? This is precisely why you're still the Official Mixology Consultant for Cynicism101.
*walking over to my home bar to toss the old-ass Vermouth*
Why hasn't the interweb delivered one of these to me yet??!! *pouting*
Okay, hold on a minute. Usually I accept your views uncritically or at least with an open mind, Becca. But lo, today you have given me pause. $5 for a bottle of vermouth? You're really going to encourage people to drink that stuff? Vermouth honestly makes or breaks a lot of cocktails, and using substandard hooch will break them.
The good vermouth – the vermouth that is worth drinking – costs about $10 in my neck of the woods. It's life-changing, actually. I don't do advertising, so I'll leave names out, but email me and I will gladly point you to my favorite.
I have some doubts about this Old Pal of which you speak, mostly because I dislike Campari, but I'll give it some thought.
I hear you, Dr K, and I'd gladly live out my days drinking only Punt e Mes and Carpano Antica. But when you go through vermouth at the rate J & I do, well, it's just too expensive to maintain standards like that.
If Campari is too bitter for you, may I suggest Aperol? It's much mellower than Campari, but still conveys some of the same flavor.
Fair point, I grant you. I thought of that after posting my objection and chided myself.
Will definitely investigate the Aperol. And, since you brought up the brand name vermouth, I suggest you get a small bottle of Dolin for experimental purposes. I'm told it's not quite the equal of Carpano, but it's the only vermouth that ever made a palatable Manhattan for me.
this was great! we have all of these ingredients, but never combined them in quite this wa before!! cocktails are so magical. thanks for the recommendation.
Love Negronis so I will definitely give this a try. I've noticed that a lot of bars around here are using Gran Classico Bitter as a Campari alternative for Negronis. It is a little less bitter and makes a mellower drink.
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