If you’ve followed Libation Lounge for more than a year, you know how much I love vermouth, as I’ve focused a few posts on nothing else over the past three years. If you’re new to Vermouth or have used it forever but are curious to know more, check out this post from 2023 for an overview and a little history of this delicious beverage.

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor recently added another sherry vermouth to its shelves—Navazos Palazzi Vermut Rojo—and I’m really enjoying this expression! It’s an excellent, moderately sweet oloroso sherry infused with botanicals including savory, coriander, elderflower, juniper, and bitter orange peel. On the palate, this vermouth is full-bodied and fruit-forward, approaching the richness of a ruby port or even venturing into cream sherry territory. It’s incredibly delicious!  

Therefore, we’re focusing this week on ways to enjoy this classy vermouth. If you prefer, skip ahead to the cocktail recipes, but here’s more about vermouth traditions.

Try a “vermouth hour” instead of a cocktail hour.
Most vermouth from Italy and France is fortified within the vermouth production process, and because ancient predecessors of vermouth were medicinal—sweet wines used to deliver bitter medicinal herbs—modern Italian and French vermouths often retain some bitter characteristics.

Spanish vermouths, which emerged later on, generally tend to be sweeter and less bitter than their French and Italian counterparts. “Sherry vermouth” is made by adding herbs and botanicals to a sherry wine from Andalucia’s Jerez wine region. A key point: Sherry wines, especially oloroso, are aged using the solera method, so they are richer and more complex than the “blank canvas” wines used for most vermouth.

They are fruitier, often featuring notes of orange and Mediterranean herbs, and very enjoyable for sipping on their own as well as in refreshing, vermouth-forward cocktails in the warm Mediterranean climate. In fact, Spanish tradition speaks more of “the vermouth hour” than of the cocktail hour, as described by New York Times wine writer Eric Asimov:

“The Spanish ritual is simple, especially in warm weather in the numerous plazas outside bars, cafes, and tapas joints in Madrid, where, if you are lucky enough to commandeer a table, you are all set up.

“Once you have ordered, servers arrive with a bottle of Spanish vermouth, which they will pour sometimes into tall Collins glasses, other times squat tumblers, but always filled with ice and garnished with an orange slice. The vermouth usually comes with a nosh, like a small bowl of green olives and a plate of picos, stubby little breadsticks. Salud!

“The vermouth hour is both a joyous custom to adopt and a bit of a revelation. I’ve always liked vermouth as an occasional aperitif, but to make a daily habit of it is to taste a stunning variety of possibilities.“

Whether Spanish, Italian, or French, vermouth has always been meant for aperitif enjoyment—a little refresher before dinner. The Spanish took it outdoors and made it a cultural phenomenon, so try a great vermouth like Navazos Palazzi Vermut Rojo chilled and straight up or over ice with a garnish of orange peel. You can’t go wrong. 

Aye, but cocktail lovers will enjoy this vermouth, too!

On top of being cold, complex, and delicious, vermouth cocktails are typically lower in alcohol than more traditional whiskey, gin, or vodka cocktails. Here are just three favorites of many that I’ve tried.

SUPPRESSOR #1766
“Suppressor” is just another trade term for “low-alcohol”—as in, “I’m suppressing my alcohol intake.” 

1½ oz Navazos Palazzi Vermut Rojo
¾ oz Amontillado sherry
¾ oz St. George NOLA coffee liqueur
2 dashes Orange bitters
Tonic water, to top

Build all ingredients over ice in a Collins glass. Top with tonic water and stir briefly to integrate. Garnish with a lemon twist.

OLD HICKORY
This is an easy drink to mix. To keep it Spanish and sherry-based, use Pinnacle’s Vermut Lustau Blanco! 

1½ oz Navazos Palazzi Vermut Rojo  
1½ oz Blanc/blanco vermouth
2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
1 dash Orange bitters

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass without ice and stir. Pour the mix into a rocks glass over a large ice cube (preferably clear ice). Express the oils of a strip of lemon peel over the drink and swipe the peel around the rim of the glass. Garnish with the peel “for a snappier, brighter drink,” or discard it for a “rounder and richer” effect.

BLACK TUNIC 
This is a low-alcohol riff on the Revolver — a coffee lover’s bourbon drink. 

½ oz Navazos Palazzi Vermut Rojo
½ oz Cold-brew coffee
¼ oz Benedictine D.O.M. Liqueur
2 dashes Cardamom Bitters 

Combine all the ingredients in a rocks glass and fill it with ice (ideally one large cube of clear ice), then stir briefly to combine. While using a lit match or lighter, squeeze a strip of lemon peel so its oils spray into the flame and across the drink’s surface, then use the peel as garnish.  (Alternately, gently heat the ingredients in a small pan and serve warm in a coffee mug.)

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

Shout out to the official supplier of elegant clear ice to the Libation Lounge: My friend Ralph DiTucci of Cristallino Premium Ice and Grace & Disgrace. 

This cocktail belongs to the distinguished class of “Martinis with other stuff in them.” Like many Martinis, the Caprice starts with gin, dry vermouth, and orange bitters—the fundamental building blocks. Then, it adds the sweet herbal notes of Benedictine D.O.M. liqueur. 

The 3:1 (gin:vermouth) ratio in this Martini is on the wetter side, and the Benedictine helps smooth out the gin’s sharper edges while adding mouthfeel. As is my custom, I prefer Sipsmith VJOP Gin for its robust juniper flavors in a drink as diluted as this one, and Vya Dry Vermouth contributes fruity notes that other favorite dry vermouths lack. If you find this recipe a bit too sharp, increase the vermouth to 1 or 1½ ounces. I’ve tried that, and it still makes a delicious, flavorful cocktail. 

To change it up, consider making it with a less traditional gin such as Isolation Proof Orchard Gin or Sipsmith Elderflower Rose Gin.

THE CAPRICE
1½ oz Sipsmith VJOP Gin
½ oz Vya Dry Vermouth
½ ounce Bénédictine D.O.M. Liqueur
1 Dash of Regans’ Orange Bitters

Before mixing, select a small Martini glass or cocktail coupe (a Nick and Nora glass is perfect for this) and chill it in your freezer or with ice water while you mix. Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass with plenty of ice and stir for 15 seconds or so until the drink is chilled well. Strain the drink into the chilled glass. Express the oils from a strip of orange peel over the drink. If you wish, garnish with the orange peel or simply discard it. 

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

Shout out to the official supplier of elegant clear ice to the Libation Lounge: My friend Ralph DiTucci of Cristallino Premium Ice and Grace & Disgrace. 

Hey, it’s great to be back after a post-holiday break! Happy New Year to all of you, near and far.

Early last summer, we featured a Ramp Gibson using the Isolation Proof distillery’s nuclear Ramp Gin, and that Gibson remains my favorite Gibson of all time. Isolation Proof Orchard Gin, now available at Pinnacle (a limited edition, so it won’t last long), is a delicious innovation on Old Tom Gin — full-bodied and overlaying traditional gin botanicals with macerated wild apples (picked from the distillery property) and diced, dried pears. The final step is a brief steep in loose-leaf Assam Tea, achieving maximum flavor without extracting too much tannin. You’ll even detect hints of cocoa and baking spices as the gin warms on your palate.

Like any good gin, the Orchard Gin is enjoyable on its own, chilled and neat or over ice, but it has an unusual flavor profile for gin—a profile I love—so I brought a bottle home to see what kind of cocktails it enhances. 

That’s right. In the spirit of public service, I consumed an entire bottle to bring you these recipes. You’re welcome!

While this is not a barrel-aged gin, it’s heartier, more aromatic, and more fruity than conventional American or Old Tom gin. It provides a lighter, refreshing change of pace when it replaces whiskey or rum in some of my favorite cocktails. Here are four Orchard Gin recipes I love, and I encourage you to do some exploring of your own with this excellent gin!

DIRECTIONS: These recipes should all be stirred, not shaken (James Bond had it all wrong!). The garnishes vary, but here’s how to mix them. See each recipe for the garnish treatment. 

Before mixing, chill a cocktail coupe or Martini glass. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with plenty of ice and stir for 15 seconds until well chilled. Strain the drink into the chilled glass.  

EL EXIGENTE
This was the El Presidente, a rum cocktail. Just unplug the rum and plug in the Orchard Gin. (El Exigente is Spanish for “the demanding one, but this gives much more than it takes.) 

1½ oz Isolation Proof Orchard Gin 
¾ oz Blanc or Bianco Vermouth
½ oz Ferrand Dry Curaçao 
A scant teaspoon of Grenadine syrup (buy it or make it)
Garnishes: A wide swath of orange peel, and a Luxardo Maraschino cherry

Express the oils of the orange peel over the cocktail and discard the peel. Garnish with the Maraschino cherry on a pick. 

BLACK MARTINI
Most of you know how much I love my Black Manhattans. I love this recipe just as much!

2 oz Isolation Proof Orchard Gin
1 oz Averna Amaro
2 dashes of Orange bitters
Garnish: A wide swath of orange peel 

Express the oils of the orange peel over the cocktail and discard the peel, or groom it as a garnish to be mounted on the rim of the glass.

THE OXYMORON
If “Gin Manhattan” isn’t an oxymoron, I don’t know what is. And this is a Gin Manhattan.

2 oz Isolation Proof Orchard Gin
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Dolin or a Vermouth di Torino)
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
Garnish: A wide swath of orange peel 

Express the oils of the orange peel over the cocktail and discard the peel, or groom it as a garnish to be mounted on the rim of the glass.

POMONA MARTINI
Since Isolation Proof Orchard Gin incorporates fruit harvested from the distillery’s orchards, I named this drink for Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit trees, gardens, and orchards. 

2 oz Isolation Proof Orchard Gin
¾ oz Benedictine D.O.M. Liqueur
1 dash Pimento bitters or Angostura bitters
Garnish: A wide swath of orange peel 

Express the oils of the orange peel over the cocktail and discard the peel, or groom it as a garnish to be mounted on the rim of the glass.

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

Shout out to the official supplier of elegant clear ice to the Libation Lounge: My friend Ralph DiTucci of Cristallino Premium Ice and Grace & Disgrace. 

Please note: We’ll take a short break from Cocktail of the Week and return on January 17 with more cocktail goodness. Happy New Year!

Something about winter weather enhances Americans’ preference for brown spirits and baking spices. The Winter Waltz, though created in temperate New Orleans by Chris Hannah of the French 75 Bar, checks all the boxes for a whiskey drink that will carry you through to at least St. Patrick’s Day during the chill of a northern winter. 

Looking at the recipe, it’s a mulled Black Manhattan. On the palate, it’s like a very boozy mulled wine. However, no heat or maceration is involved in this mulling; the spices are added easily via St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram and bitters. 

Chris Hannah’s original recipe called for Dale DeGroff’s “Allspice Bitters,” which are now marketed as “Dale DeGroff’s Pimento Bitters” (available on Amazon). If you’re not inclined to buy a bottle just for this cocktail, don’t worry. St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram is a baking spice powerhouse that provides all the spicey flavor you’ll need for this recipe. Angostura Bitters will add complementary baking spice notes, and they are more readily available.

I made two versions of this—one shaken and one stirred—because the original recipe called for shaking. The shaken Winter Waltz is aerated and less viscous than the stirred version, but I prefer the stirred version, which is prettier and more intensely flavored. If you’re curious, try it both ways and decide for yourself. 

WINTER WALTZ
2 oz McKenzie Bottled in Bond Six-year Rye Whiskey
½ oz Averna Amaro
¼ oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass ½ full of ice and stir for 15 seconds to chill well. (For a lighter texture, shake it instead of stirring it.) Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe or Martini glass. As a garnish, float a star anise flower in the drink.

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

Shout out to the official supplier of elegant clear ice to the Libation Lounge: My friend Ralph DiTucci of Cristallino Premium Ice and Grace & Disgrace. 

I first posted this cocktail two years ago, before beginning the Cocktail of the Week series. We’re reposting it with some updates because it’s simply that good!

This isn’t a beginner’s drink, but it’s completely delicious, gorgeous, and in tune with the December holiday season.

The original recipe I found online didn’t include simple syrup, so between the lemon and cranberry juices, it came across as a bit too sour; ½ to ¾ ounce of simple syrup fixes that.

Given the intense flavors of the other ingredients, you’ll want a higher-proof, flavorful gin. My go-to in a drink like this is Sipsmith VJOP Gin

This drink calls for egg whites to create the snowy, luscious foam on top. If you’re new to using egg white in cocktails, I recommend reading my February 9, 2022, post about egg white technique. The idea of raw egg white makes some people a little nervous, but it produces a richer, creamier foam and texture throughout the drink compared to pasteurized egg whites or Fee Foam. Raw whites from wisely handled eggs haven’t made me sick, but use pasteurized egg whites if you’re concerned; they’re readily available in good grocery stores, and they’re inexpensive. Fee Foam doesn’t produce as much of a foam, but it avoids real eggs completely, which also makes it a good option for my vegan and vegetarian friends!

I love this drink—the making as well as the sipping!

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
2 oz Sipsmith VJOP Gin (or London Dry Gin of choice)
¾ oz Freshly squeezed Lemon juice
¾ oz Cranberry juice cocktail
½ oz Simple syrup
4 dashes of Angostura bitters
1 Egg white (raw) (OR 1 tbsp pasteurized egg whites, OR 2 tsp Fee Foam)

Combine all ingredients in the base of a cocktail shaker, adding the egg white last (if you’re using it). Cover and shake vigorously (while maintaining a death grip on the shaker lid!) without ice for about one full minute. Add ice and shake for 20-30 more seconds until well chilled. Fine-strain into a frozen cocktail coupe, allow a couple of minutes for the foam to separate and rise to the surface, then garnish with a single clove dropped in the center of the foam to light up your nose every time you take a sip.

Fee Foam shortcut: Just add the Fee Foam to the shaker along with the other ingredients and plenty of ice, and shake for 20-30 seconds before fine-straining the drink into your frozen coupe.

Now you are officially home for the holidays. Merry Christmas!

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

Shout out to the official supplier of elegant clear ice to the Libation Lounge: My friend Ralph DiTucci of Cristallino Premium Ice and Grace & Disgrace. 

The December holiday season, in my ancestral land of England and elsewhere around the Old World, is also sloe gin time, when we celebrate by macerating berries of the humble blackthorn tree—a/k/a “sloe”—in gin and sweetening the infusion with sugar for purposes of toasting the holidays. Sugar is required to tone down the tartness of the sloe berries, and adding it makes a liqueur, but (believe me) there’s plenty of gin in it. The Sipsmith Sloe Gin I use is 29 percent alcohol by volume, with a silky mouthfeel and noticeable acidity. The flavors hint at sour cherry, pomegranate, cranberry, and plum. 

Some families still enjoy making their sloe gin. Still, thanks to enterprising gin distillers, it’s pretty easy to find excellent commercially bottled versions of it, including at Pinnacle Wine & Liquor (of course!).

This week, we present two delicious cocktails—one based on sloe gin and the other incorporating sloe gin with other seasonal flavors into a Christmas Negroni. 

For more seasonal recipes using sloe gin, see my previous posts here and here and here.

HOLIDAY TANGO
The revered Harry Craddock (all bow!) included this simple recipe in his 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book, calling it “Savoy Tango.” I’m taking literary license to call it “Holiday Tango” because of the sloe gin tradition and because the December holidays are upon us. It adds apple to the dark fruit and spice of sloe gin to make a delightfully fruity but boozy drink perfect for the season.

Recipe:
1½ oz Calvados or Laird’s Applejack Brandy
1½ oz Sipsmith Sloe Gin

Pre-chill a small cocktail coupe, and prepare a garnish of a thin, red-skinned apple slice to float in the drink (the size of your glass may dictate some trimming). Dehydrated apple slices work nicely if you don’t mind making them yourself or buying them. Or, hell, just skip the garnish!

Combine the liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with plenty of ice, stir until well chilled, and fine strain (to remove ice chips) into the chilled coupe. Garnish with the apple slice…if you must. 

CHRISTMAS NEGRONI
While the Holiday Tango is as simple as it can be, this drink goes to an extreme of indulgence with six (SIX!) ingredients, but Christmas is a time for overindulgence! We reduce the Campari and layer in notes of clove, cinnamon, allspice and other Christmassy baking spices with the St. Elizabeth and Velvet Falernum.

Recipe:
1 oz Gin (preferably Sipsmith VJOP)
1 oz Sweet vermouth (preferably Carpano Antica Formula)
½ oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
⅓ oz Campari
⅓ oz Sipsmith Sloe Gin
⅓ oz John D. Taylor Velvet Falernum

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and add ice until it is at least half full. Stir for 15-20 seconds to chill well, then strain the mix into an ice-filled Old Fashioned glass (preferably over a large cube or chunk of clear ice). Garnish with a thin wheel slice of orange slid into the glass.

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

Shout out to the official supplier of elegant clear ice to the Libation Lounge: My friend Ralph DiTucci of Cristallino Premium Ice and Grace & Disgrace. 

Manhattan lovers, come to the dark side with me!

I awoke recently from a three-year sleep. At least, that’s how it felt when I realized that in almost three years of blogging about cocktails I haven’t posted a word about one of my most favorite: the Black Manhattan. Shame on me. 

A handful of friends will attest that I’ve been a Black Manhattan evangelist for longer than I’ve been writing this blog. I can think of at least four local bartenders to whom I’ve introduced it, but there are others (most notably at REDD Rochester—a fine bar surrounded by an equally fine restaurant) who have known and loved this cocktail longer than I have.

A San Francisco bartender named Todd Smith created the Black Manhattan in 2005, while plying his trade at Bourbon & Branch. It’s a riff on the classic Manhattan that simply replaces Italian vermouth (a/k/a sweet vermouth) with Amaro Averna Siciliano (just call it “Averna”) and adds a dash of orange bitters to the usual Angostura bitters. The proportions don’t change; it’s still two parts whiskey (preferably a hearty rye) to one part Averna, stirred (don’t you dare shake a Manhattan!) and garnished with a Maraschino cherry or three. 

Given as I am to science (SCIENCE!!), I’ve done more than a couple of side-by-side comparisons of the classic Manhattan made with the original Italian vermouth (Carpano Antica Formula) and the Black Manhattan.

Carpano Antica, my go-to vermouth for most whiskey cocktails, is the richest, most full-bodied among so-called sweet vermouths—“so-called” because there’s a bitter component to all of them that competes with the “sweet” labeling. However, it’s light-bodied by comparison to Averna. On the nose, Carpano Antica is especially bitter with dominant aromas of currant and notes of allspice, nutmeg, and other baking spices. On the palate, it’s rich with plum, sour cherry, and dark chocolate.

Averna is a complex marriage of nameless herbs, seeds, and other botanicals in neutral spirits, sweetened and then aged a bit. (That, by the way is a workable decision of what any amaro is, although the flavors vary widely.) Its aromas are darker and sweeter than typical sweet vermouth—caramelized sugar, stewed plums, sweet grass, and baking spices, among other things. It’s heavy and mouth-coating, and its flavors are something like a viscous, herbal, flat Coca Cola. 

The sensory difference between classic Manhattans and the Black Manhattan

By comparison, a classic Manhattan is lighter on the tongue and more piercing in flavor than a Black Manhattan. The Black Manhattan is less aromatic, richer, and darker, more brooding than the classic. Since discovering it a few years ago, it’s become my default Manhattan; I still enjoy a classic Manhattan for a change of pace…now and then. I prefer any Manhattan to be served “up,” but if you’re concerned about diluting the alcohol, go ahead and serve it over ice in an Old Fashioned glass.

BLACK MANHATTAN
2 oz American rye whisky of choice
1 oz Amaro Averna Siciliano
1 dash Regans’ Orange Bitters
1 dash Angostura (aromatic) bitters

Before mixing, chill a cocktail coupe or Martini glass. 

Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass two-thirds full of ice. Stir 15 seconds or so to chill the drink well, then strain it into the chilled glass. Garnish with a couple of Luxardo Maraschino cherries on a cocktail pick.

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

Shout out to the official supplier of elegant clear ice to the Libation Lounge: My friend Ralph DiTucci of Cristallino Premium Ice and Grace & Disgrace. 

Thanksgiving is upon us, and so is our annual surge of fresh apple cider! Jeffrey Morgenthaler, the noted Portland, Oregon, bartender and drinks writer who created this cocktail calls it, “Thanksgiving in a glass.” 

I agree. It’s apples and brown sugar and herbs and autumn baking spices, liquified and poured over ice. Morgenthaler admits the number of ingredients is “more tiki” than he usually uses but insists that each one is critical to the balance of flavors. The Scotch whisky and cider are stars of this show, and all other ingredients are seasoning, but be precise with your measurements to keep everything working well together.

First published in 2014, the Flannel Shirt has a short history as cocktails go, and most sites that post the recipe are either ambiguous about what style of Scotch to use or name a brand almost no one else does. However, if historical accuracy is your jam, Morgenthaler used Highland Park Single Malt Scotch originally because he created it for a Highland Park event. The mild smokiness of that whisky contributes to the evocative sense of chilly autumn evenings by a fire. I also enjoyed this made with Maclean’s Nose, the most flavorful and aromatic blended Scotch I’ve ever had, and I’ve seen it done with Monkey Shoulder—also a unique blend (of vatted malt whiskies!). If you love the heavily peated Islay Scotch whiskies, give your favorite a go!

Averna amaro is widely available and very useful for cocktail lovers, but if you don’t have it on hand or have trouble finding it, Amaro Nonino will work very nicely, too (maybe you’ve been mixing some Paper Planes?).

Despite the number of ingredients, this is an easy cocktail to mix, and your reward for attention to proportions will be a satisfying, luxurious drink with a velvety texture.

FLANNEL SHIRT
1¾ oz Scotch whisky of choice
1½ oz Fresh apple cider
½ oz Averna amaro
½ tsp St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
¼ oz Freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp Demerara syrup (2:1 sugar:water)
2 dashes Angostura (aromatic) bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with plenty of ice and shake until well chilled and mixed (15-20 sec.). Strain into a double Old Fashioned glass filled with fresh ice (preferably a large cube of clear ice to minimize dilution and preserve the amazing texture of the drink). Garnish with a long twist of orange peel.

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

Shout out to the official supplier of elegant clear ice to the Libation Lounge: My friend Ralph DiTucci of Cristallino Premium Ice and Grace & Disgrace. 

Nothing says “frozen cocktail” like the middle of November in the Finger Lakes Region. Amiright?

I admit: This is a case of the blogger’s whim. Lately, you may have noticed I’m on a Yellow Chartreuse kick, and while I was looking for new-to-me recipes to test for my last Cocktail of the Week post, I ran into this one. The only problem was we had no bananas in the house then—let alone a **nuclear** banana. … Still, I couldn’t wait until next June to make this luscious drink. The beauty of it, from the autumn mud season through the spring mud season, is enjoying it in an easy chair with my eyes closed, imagining I’m on a sun-baked beach somewhere.

The Daiquiri is a simple, classic, three-ingredient rum cocktail (rum, lime juice, and sugar or simple syrup) with many popular variants. The Nuclear Banana Daiquiri is a riff on a riff. The original riff is a “Nuclear Daiquiri,” which adds a healthy dose of Green Chartreuse and some falernum; the ‘nuclear’ ingredient is the Chartreuse. For the recipe at hand, the creators in England “just added half a banana and blitzed it.”

Oh, and they changed from Green Chartreuse to Yellow Chartreuse, which, to my palate, is a more compatible partner to the banana. Instead of conventional simple syrup, they call for falernum—a liqueur typically made with rum, lime, sugar, and almonds, often including other flavors like cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, or ginger.

It’s limey, herbal, and refreshing, with just enough banana to know it’s there. This is a filling cocktail and may be best for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up or a dessert drink.

The original glassware spec is a Hurricane glass, but if you don’t have that, a large wine glass will serve perfectly (see my photos).

NUCLEAR BANANA DAIQUIRI
1 oz Foursquare Probitas White Blended Rum
⅔ oz Yellow Chartreuse 
⅔ oz Falernum or orgeat
⅔ oz Freshly-squeezed lime juice
½ Fresh banana (preferably very ripe)

Before mixing, prepare a garnish of a banana slice and star anise. Press the star anise into the banana, and make a small cut in the banana where you’ll slip the garnish onto the rim of the glass after you’ve poured the drink.

Combine all ingredients in a blender with a 7-oz scoop of crushed ice and blend on high until they’re well mixed. Pour the drink into a chilled Hurricane glass or large wine glass. Add the garnish and, ideally, a bouquet of mint sprigs. Serve with a straw (or two if you’re sharing).

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

Shout out to the official supplier of elegant clear ice to the Libation Lounge: My friend Ralph DiTucci of Cristallino Premium Ice and Grace & Disgrace. 

What is Yellow Chartreuse, and how do I use it?

Regular Libation Lounge readers and cocktailing Pinnacle customers are aware that Green Chartreuse is hard to come by lately. Its popularity has skyrocketed due to the current cocktail revival—U.S. consumption has doubled since the start of the pandemic in 2020—but the Carthusian order of monks that makes it declines to increase production, adhering to its disciplines of silence, solitude, and contemplation.

Demand for the monks’ Yellow Chartreuse, however, has lagged behind for no fault of its own; it’s more readily available and features similar qualities to those making the Green Chartreuse so wildly popular. If you’re frustrated by the paucity of Green, give the Yellow a try. In many cases, you can simply replace Green Chartreuse in a recipe with the Yellow; it’ll taste different, but you may enjoy the change of pace

Here are the differences between the two styles of Chartreuse liqueur:

Okay, gimme those kisses!
There are more than 200 cocktail recipes that include Yellow Chartreuse, including the Naked and Famous, which may be the most popular mezcal drink in the country. Here are two more that are easy to make and supremely delcious, and I’ll link below to other Yellow Chartreuse cocktails I’ve posted on this blog before. 

CHEF’S KISS
This is a riff on the Naked & Famous, replacing mezcal with the pungent mintiness of Fernet Branca, which pulls the Yellow Chartreuse a long way in the direction of Green Chartreuse. A dose of Demerara syrup balances the lime and bumps up the sweetness of the Fernet and Chartreuse. Yes, it truly is a chef’s kiss!

CHEF’S KISS RECIPE
¾ oz Fernet Branca Liqueur
¾ oz Yellow Chartreuse
¾ oz Freshly squeezed lime juice
½ oz Demerara or Turbinado rich (2:1) simple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with plenty of ice and shake for 15-20 seconds. Fine-strain the mix into a chilled Nick and Nora or other small, stemmed cocktail glass. Garnish with a slice of lime wheel. 

WIDOW’S KISS
I’m just a romantic fool, so I couldn’t resist matching two ‘kiss’ cocktails in this post. This one is apple-forward, and with herbal flavors from Benedictine that complement those of the Yellow Chartreuse. It’s more elegantly clear than the Chef’s Kiss, in both color and texture. 

WIDOW’S KISS RECIPE
2 oz Laird’s Straight Apple Brandy or Daron Calvados
¼ oz Yellow Chartreuse
¼ oz Benedictine D.O.M.
2 dashes Angostura (aromatic) bitters

Stir ingredients with ice until well chilled. Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora or other small, stemmed glass. Garnish with a pierced Luxardo Maraschino cherry. 

MORE FAVORITE YELLOW CHARTREUSE COCKTAILS
I love rum cocktails, and one of my personal favorites is the Daisy de Santiago (I highly recommend Probitas rum for this one!). Other favorites you’ll find on the Libation Lounge blog (with base spirits noted):

Alaska (Old Tom Gin) 
Corpse Reviver No. 2 (Gin)
The Dead Poet (Tequila) 
The Diamondback (Rye whiskey)
The Greenpoint (Rye whiskey)
The Nuclear Banana Daiquiri (Rum)

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

Shout out to the official supplier of elegant clear ice to the Libation Lounge: My friend Ralph DiTucci of Cristallino Premium Ice and Grace & Disgrace. 

Regular readers of the Libation Lounge know that one of my drinking crusades is to restore the dignity and worth of vermouth in the American public’s eye. Vermouth is a noble aperitif in Italy, France, and Spain but is misunderstood and criminally maligned in the United States. I hope this style of Martini will change some minds. 

There are variations on the theme of a “wet” Martini. It may refer pejoratively to a “dry” Martini mixed with more dry vermouth than a drinker prefers; in that context, “wet” is an unfortunate error. However, several versions of a “fifty-fifty” Martini also exist, including this week’s feature. Yes, these are made on purpose, half vermouth and half gin, and they can be delicious.

Here’s the secret: The good ones use more than dry vermouth, and the choice of gin (they’re almost always gin) may also vary. You’ll see at least one more of these here before long. 

This wet Martini is a recipe refined by Nialls Fallon of Manhattan’s Eel Bar and featured by New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells in a recent column. What I love most is its use of vermouth blanc (see my August 2, 2024 post for more about this treasure), along with the more expected dry vermouth and a dash of orange bitters. Since only half of the recipe is London Dry Gin, this perfectly uses my favorite high-proof gin, Sipsmith’s VJOP (Very Junipery Over Proof) Gin. 

WET MARTINI
1½ oz London Dry Gin (Sipsmith VJOP)
¾ oz Blanc Vermouth (preferably Dolin) 
¾ oz Dry Vermouth (also preferably Dolin)
2 dashes Orange bitters

Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass with plenty of ice and stir about 100 revolutions or until frigidly cold. Strain the drink into a chilled Nick and Nora mini-coupe (as in the photos) or a small Martini glass. Peel a strip of zest from a fresh orange with a vegetable peeler. Hold the peel over the drink (skin-side facing the glass) and give it a quick squeeze to express its oils onto the drink's surface. Discard the peel and enjoy the Wet Martini!

If you love this drink, make yourself another—it’s pretty petite. However, I urge you to stop well short of six. Just ask Nick and Nora… 

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

Shout out to the official supplier of elegant clear ice to the Libation Lounge: My friend Ralph DiTucci of Cristallino Premium Ice and Grace & Disgrace. 

I have to tell you a story to explain my inspiration for this Martini. If you’re in a hurry, skip to “About this drink” below. 

Several years ago, I had the privilege of doing retail tastings in the Rochester (NY) market for a start-up vodka producer, Frankly Organic Vodka. They were based in Austin, Texas, and like cross-town rival Tito’s Vodka, they made corn-based vodka. For the record, their straight-up plain vodka outpaced Tito’s in the side-by-side comparisons I offered consumers, but their calling card was a line of five flavored vodkas employing actual fruit—so much fruit that the fruit solids would settle over a bit of time, and a user had to shake the bottles vigorously to re-suspend the fruit in the vodka before pouring. 

You’ll notice that my plaudits for Frankly Organic Vodkas are past tense. Sadly, the company went out of business around the beginning of 2023. However, you may still find what remains of its inventory in distribution, including at Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, where we have some of its grapefruit vodka in stock and a bin of 50ml bottles of assorted Frankly Vodka flavors next to our register. Pick up a couple the next time you come in; you won’t be disappointed. 

These were not the faintly flavored infusions and compounded vodkas that too many producers offer (and, I’m sorry, too many consumers think are great). They were delicious, full-throated, fruity vodkas one could keep in the freezer, pull out, and enjoy as is, whether neat or over ice, or perhaps with a splash of soda. Frankly’s vodkas were useful for so much more, though, including some kick-ass cocktail recipes I would mix to show off the product at retail events. The most popular expression in my experience was its pomegranate vodka, which made an extraordinary pomegranate Martini. 

That Martini inspired me for this one. I wanted to find a mix that would satisfy pomegranate lovers with products currently available. 

About this drink

This pomegranate Martini is a simple, three-ingredient recipe based on Suntory’s excellent Haku vodka—a white-rice-based spirit that’s soft on the palate and pleasing to taste. I started by adding a measure of Pama pomegranate liqueur. That was somewhat pleasing, but it took some Cointreau (the original, Cognac-based Triple Sec) to moderate the bitter notes of the Pama. At the proportions below, you’ll sense the characteristic pomegranate flavor moderated by the sweetness and orange notes of Cointreau—presented on a bed of rice vodka. 

See what I did there?

I’m not bragging or anything, but this is a serious hit with Mrs. Libation Lounge and friends, and they’re picky. Give it a try. You’ve nothing to lose and some pomegranate anti-oxidants to gain. 

POMEGRANATE MARTINI 
2 oz Suntory Haku Vodka
¾ oz Pama Pomegranate Liqueur
½ oz Cointreau or similar Cognac-based orange liqueur

Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass with plenty of ice, stir for 10-15 seconds, and strain into a small, chilled Martini glass. If you want to garnish, try a sprinkle of 4-5 pomegranate seeds on the drink (they’re edible!) or a twist of orange zest—express its oils over the drink and curl it over the edge of the glass.

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

Shout out to the official supplier of elegant clear ice to the Libation Lounge: My friend Ralph DiTucci of Cristallino Premium Ice and Grace & Disgrace. 

If you like that classic New Orleans cocktail, the Vieux Carre (and puns), you’ll probably love this boozy drink. It's pleasantly, tropically aromatic, tasty, and petite enough to fit in a small coupe or Nick and Nora glass. I found this recipe four years ago in Imbibe Magazine, with credit for its invention to Jim Romdall of “Rumba," a rum bar in Seattle, Washington.

“Rhum Agricole” is a style of rum made from fresh sugarcane juice rather than molasses, typically produced in the French West Indies and other tropical French overseas departments or former French colonies. Aged rhum agricole usually has a grassy and somewhat funky flavor that places its profile (loosely) somewhere between more conventional rums and a Lowlands Scotch whisky. The rhum agricole and Cognac in this drink marry beautifully, and the dash of aged Jamaican rum rounds and softens the mix, with an assist from the Demerara syrup.

RUM WITH A VIEUX
1 oz Aged rhum agricole
1 oz Cognac
¼ oz Aged Jamaican rum
¼ oz Demerara (or turbinado) simple syrup (2 parts sugar to 1 part water)
4 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
2-3 dashes of Absinthe*

*Pinnacle carries 100ml bottles of Absente absinthe at a price under $10. Visit the shop or call (585) 271-4931 to inquire.

Rinse the inside of a chilled mini-coupe or Nick and Nora glass with the absinthe, discard the excess, and set the glass aside while you mix. In a mixing glass, combine and stir the remaining ingredients with ice, then strain the mix into the prepared glass. Twist a peel of lemon zest over the drink to express the oils, then discard the peel and enjoy the drink. 

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

Shout out to the official supplier of elegant clear ice to the Libation Lounge: My friend Ralph DiTucci of Cristallino Premium Ice and Grace & Disgrace. 

The Scofflaw cocktail was born in Paris in 1924 but was a product of the Prohibition era in the United States. The word “scofflaw” won a contest held by Delcevare King, a prominent Boston banker and temperance advocate, who offered $200 in gold for the best epithet to describe law-breaking drinkers. Newspapers, including the Boston Globe, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Christian Science Monitor, covered the contest enthusiastically, and King received 25,000 entries, including two for the word “scofflaw,” which he selected. The winning word quickly gained popularity and made headlines across the United States and Europe, catching a bartender’s attention at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris.

Capitalizing on the buzz around the new term, the bartender created the Scofflaw cocktail, and the recipe was first published in Harry MacElhone's “ABC of Mixing Cocktails.” The drink quickly became popular among American expatriates in Paris, who could enjoy alcohol freely, unlike their counterparts back home. The original Scofflaw cocktail recipe includes rye whiskey, dry vermouth, lemon juice, grenadine, and orange bitters, resulting in a balanced and complex drink that straddles the line between a classic vermouth cocktail and a modern citrus cocktail.

Of note, some bartenders prefer to use lime juice instead of lemon. As always, we encourage you to try it both ways and make your own decisions.

THE SCOFFLAW
1½ oz. Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey
1 oz. Dolin or Vya Dry Vermouth
¾ oz. Freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ oz. Grenadine syrup
1 dash of orange bitters

Combine the ingredients in a shaker with plenty of ice and shake for 10-15 seconds to integrate and chill the drink thoroughly. Strain the mix into a chilled cocktail coupe or Martini glass. Garnish the drink with a twist of lemon or orange peel if you wish. 

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

Shout out to the official supplier of elegant clear ice to the Libation Lounge: My friend Ralph DiTucci of Cristallino Premium Ice and Grace & Disgrace. 

Leading up to World Saké Day (October 1) and Pinnacle’s “Saké Simplified” Seminar on October 2, offering yet another saké cocktail only makes sense. 



First, a shameless plug…
…for that seminar: Pinnacle still has seats available. I’ll present an overview of the range of saké expressions and what you need to know to interpret the saké labels at your local wine shop. While we’re at it, you’ll taste six representative sakés (or more—I have bonus pours up my sleeve).

It’s not complicated! It’s just a different language than most of you are used to speaking.

By now, I trust you’ve detected my enthusiasm for saké (feel free to point and laugh—I can take it). It’s delicious and versatile in food pairings, just like wine! Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about it and sample a variety to help you understand what it is and which styles appeal to you the most. 

Click on this link to register. There’s a $25 registration fee, but Pinnacle always credits that toward your bottle purchases the night of the seminar.

Now, back to our regular program, already in progress. 

For Saké’s Sake is a play on words (intended by its creator, Simon Difford), but also a brilliant example of how saké can fit into your home cocktail menu. My favorite ancient saké expression is, “saké doesn’t pick fights with food,” and it doesn't pick fights with this drink. Indeed, it works beautifully with the other ingredients in For Saké’s Sake: light rum (yum!) and two citrus liqueurs—orange curaçao and Italicus. The saké plays a bridging and moderating role between those three flavor profiles.

You’ll want a saké with a little extra backbone of flavor and alcohol to stand up to the rum and sweet liqueurs. Difford recommends a daiginjo genshu saké (daiginjo is the highest saké rice milling grade, and genshu means ‘undiluted’). Still, I was delighted with the Pearls of Simplicity Junmai Daiginjo available at Pinnacle for this cocktail; it’s not a genshu, but it’s richly flavorful.

FOR SAKE’S SAKE
1½ oz Light rum (my choice: Probitas)
1½ oz Pearls of Wisdom Junmai Daiginjo Saké
⅓ oz Italicus Liqueur
⅓ oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao orange liqueur (or similar)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with plenty of ice, stir 15 seconds to chill well, then strain the mixture into a chilled cocktail coupe. For a garnish, float a thin slice of apple—Fuji, of course!

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

If you’d like to learn more about saké and how to enjoy it in cocktails and with your meals, come to the “Saké Simplified” seminar I’m presenting at Pinnacle Wine & Liquor on Wednesday, October 2. Seating is limited, so reservations are required. More details are on the registration page here. 

With its clean, dry, flavorful style, a flavorful Junmai saké is a natural choice for a delicious, lower-alcohol Martini.

By now, I hope some of you have tried the Geisha Martini, our Cocktail of the Week two weeks ago. That one is cucumber-forward, while this Sake-tini employs gin and Grand Marnier for a less neutral marriage of juniper, from a small dose of gin, and orange from Grand Marnier or any similar Cognac-based orange liqueur. I love this drink!

Pinnacle carries a variety of Junmai sakés that will work, each with a unique flavor profile. I suggest starting with Tozai Living Jewel, Hawk in the Heavens, or Everlasting Roots. 

SAKE-TINI
2½ oz Junmai saké
1 oz Sipsmith VJOP Gin or a similar London Dry Gin
½ oz Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or similar Cognac-based orange liqueur

Before mixing, chill a Martini glass or cocktail coupe in your freezer or with ice and water. 

Combine the ingredients in a cocktail mixing glass, add plenty of ice, and stir for about 15 seconds to chill well. Strain the mix into the chilled cocktail glass, and garnish with two thinly sliced wafers of cucumber (preferably a seedless one).

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

Negroni week is upon us again. It’s an annual global fundraiser for a great cause through participating bars, but it’s okay to make negronis at home, too! If you want to have fun, find a participating Negroni Week bar near you and ask them for a Slow Negroni. 

If you know and love Negronis, you’ll love this cocktail; it’s a Negroni plus sloe gin, lending a measure of dark berry flavor to the Campari/gin/sweet vermouth classic Negroni.

THE SLOW NEGRONI 
In a mixing glass, combine equal parts of these ingredients; two-thirds of an ounce each is an excellent place to start:

London Dry Gin (ideally Sipsmith VJOP)
Campari
Sweet vermouth (ideally Cocchi Vermouth di Torino)
Sloe Gin (ideally Sipsmith Sloe Gin)

Add plenty of fresh ice and stir the ingredients for 15 seconds (until well chilled). Strain the drink into a rocks or Old Fashioned glass filled with fresh ice (ideally a single giant rock of clear ice). Express the oils from a broad strip of orange peel over the drink and use the peel as a garnish. (Flame that peel over the drink if you know how and are confident.)

If you prefer, you could build the drink (i.e., combine and stir the ingredients and ice in the glass), but I recommend the mixing glass approach to keep the drink colder longer. 

Alert Libation Loungers may recall that we posted a handful of holiday- and winter-friendly sloe gin cocktails last December (go there to learn more about sloe gin), and sloe gin appears in several other Libation Lounge posts. Just type “sloe” in that search box at the top of this page to find them.

Shout out to the official supplier of elegant clear ice to the Libation Lounge: My friend Ralph DiTucci of Cristallino Premium Ice and Grace & Disgrace. 

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

I am ashamed (yes, truly) that I haven’t posted this cocktail long before now. It’s a longstanding favorite of mine, and it’s where my fascination with saké began. Simon Difford created it in 2016—not in Japan, but in London, England. 

One could make this drink with entirely non-Japanese ingredients—any old vodka, dry vermouth, or blended whiskey—and there are saké breweries in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere. But where’s the challenge in that? The essence of the drink is a tribute to Japanese spirits and hospitality, so I used only Japanese ingredients the first time I featured this in a public tasting at Pinnacle Wine & Liquor. Most are readily available at Pinnacle or elsewhere in the Rochester area. 

The saké: Tozai Living Jewel is an enjoyable and affordable Junmai saké. After using it in the Geisha Martini, I discovered how much I like saké and began sipping it with a variety of foods, from seafood (not just sushi!) to ham or chicken salad sandwiches and chicken dishes. The rest is history.

The vodka: I used Suntory’s rice-based and obviously Japanese Haku vodka, which is smooth, delicious, and one of the best values on today’s vodka shelves. 

The vermouth: At the time, Pinnacle happened to carry Oka Kura Japanese Bermutto—an aromatized saké that serves very nicely as a vermouth. Lacking that, a quality dry vermouth such as Vya, Dolin, or Noilly Prat will serve, and the recipe calls for only ¼ ounce.

The Japanese blended whisky: I used Suntory Toki blended whisky for my first presentation of this drink. Nikka blends are also excellent, and (again) since the recipe calls for just ½ teaspoon of whiskey, almost any whisky you have on hand will suffice. Blended Scotch whiskies, particularly, have flavor profiles fairly close to Japanese blends (e.g., Dewar’s, Johnnie Walker, or the excellent Maclean’s Nose).

The cucumber: Okay, this won't be Japanese, but using it for a garnish is Japanese aesthetic minimalism at its very best. It’s elegant visually and appetizing aromatically, and its flavor quickly infuses the drink. Be sure you have a very sharp knife, and use it to carve the **thinnest possible** wafer from (ideally) a seedless English cucumber. My favorite tool for this is a 5.5-inch Kyocera ceramic knife (it’s Japanese, too, and I bought it at Cooks’ World). With due care on my part, it will shave a slice so thin I can read text through it. 

GEISHA MARTINI
1½ oz Tozai Living Jewel or other junmai saké
1½ oz Haku vodka 
¼ oz Dry vermouth (Vya, Dolin, or Noilly Prat)
½ tsp Suntory Toki or other blended whisky
½ tsp Simple syrup (optional)

Combine all liquid ingredients in a mixing glass and add ice to twice the liquid's depth. Stir for 10 seconds or so to chill well, then strain the mix into a small, chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a floated wafer-thin slice of cucumber (preferably the seedless English kind).

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

Customers at Pinnacle Wine & Liquor may have noticed by now that we have dramatically expanded our selection of saké, shochu, and other Asian spirits; they’re right beside the checkout counter, so they’re hard to miss. 

So far, we’ve conducted two in-store saké tastings and a saké seminar, and we’ll continue working to inform and familiarize our customers with the language and diverse styles of saké. Meanwhile, here’s a concise introduction to saké from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust and a valuable guide on storing and warming it (if you choose to warm it—most saké is excellent slightly chilled).

For this week’s cocktail(s), we’ll take a closer look at the nigori style of saké (“nigori-zake” or “cloudy saké”), as Pinnacle now carries four distinctly different brands of nigori saké.

What nigori saké is

All saké begins as a thick mash (the Japanese term is “moromi”) of rice and water fermenting in vats. As yeast and enzymes do their work, the rice grains gradually disintegrate into fine particles—saké’s answer to the lees in winemaking. Indeed, the rice solids are often called lees, or white lees, or the Japanese term “kasu.” After fermentation, most saké is pressed and filtered to remove the rice solids, yielding the clear fluid we recognize as modern saké (its color may vary). The exception is nigori saké, which retains some of those rice solids and is a throwback to the primitive styles of saké that preceded the introduction of pressing and filtration hundreds of years ago. 

There are two ways to make nigori saké. One is to add some of the rice solids back into clear saké after filtration, and the other is to use a coarser filter during filtration, allowing some of the solids to remain. Either method produces comparable results. 

The amount of rice solids in nigori sakés varies; some are almost entirely opaque and nearly chewy on the palate, while others have only a slight haze. (See Fig. 1 for a side-by-side visual comparison of Pinnacle's four nigori sakés.) 

An important point: The classification of a saké as nigori is separate and independent of its milling-based classification. Theoretically, a brewer could make the finest junmai daiginjo sake a nigori saké; in practice, that rarely happens. The lees content of nigori saké can reduce or overcome the delicate aromas and nuanced flavors typical of more refined saké (e.g., ginjo and daiginjo), so most nigori-zake is made with the less refined grades. There are exceptions, however, such as Rihaku Dreamy Clouds, and despite the strong influence of rice solids, the flavors of nigori saké range from light, dry, and tart to full-flavored, thick, creamy, and sweet.

Four excellent examples of nigori saké

Here’s a brief review of the four nigori sakés in stock at Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, along with suggested pairings—but have fun finding your own favorite pairings, whether pizza, sandwiches, burgers…you name it! An old Japanese expression says, “saké doesn’t pick fights with food,” and I’ve found that true. Almost any saké goes with almost any foodl

Shake nigori sakés well before serving, as the rice solids will settle in storage. My ideal temperature for all of them is around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and you should store them chilled after opening to extend their flavor life. 

Rihaku Dreamy Clouds:  Its milling rate of 59 percent technically qualifies it as Junmai Ginjo grade. It’s bright and lean in the mouth, and while it has some sweet rice flavors, you’ll sense the sake's nutty and slightly fruity characteristics as well. Pair this one with spicy noodle dishes, risotto, or white fish.

Tozai Snow Maiden: This is the most full-bodied of Pinnacle’s four nigori-zake. It’s as creamy as can be but bright and fresh with pleasant flavors of honeydew melon, raw pumpkin, and radish. Try with spicy foods, crab, or pork, and definitely have it in a delicious Kyoto Lady cocktail! 

Wakaze Nigori Sake: Fun fact, it’s legal (and even encouraged) to make saké outside of Japan, and this one comes from (wait for it) … France. It’s made from a French rice, Camarque, by Master Brewer Shoya Imai. It presents rich rice aromas but lots of cantaloupe on the palate. Pair it with a Caesar salad, fried calamari, or a lobster roll.

Yuki Otoko Snow Yeti: This dry nigori saké is smooth and creamy, with notes of steamed rice, soft herbs, and chestnut, with a refreshing, clean finish. It’s an excellent pairing with fried foods, including tempura or fried oysters, and it loves tofu dishes. 

Nigori saké cocktails? Yes, please—that’s why we’re here.

I previously posted the Kyoto Lady mentioned above and several other cocktails that include other styles of saké. Here are three more that call for nigori saké. (Clicking on the links in the photo captions will take you to another page for the recipes.)

About our Cocktail of the Week partners—shop local and independent!
Cooks’ World and Pinnacle Wine & Liquor are less than a mile from each other, on Monroe Avenue near Twelve Corners in Brighton.

Cooks’ World, in business since 1978, is Rochester’s premier retailer of dining, kitchen, and cooking products, including a complete selection of glassware, mixology tools, and accessories for wine and spirits lovers. Follow Cooks’ World on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up here to receive Cooks’ World’s daily email specials and other news. 

Pinnacle Wine & Liquor, in business since 1997, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of spirits and wine from around the world, with a savvy staff to assist in your selection and encourage you along your cocktail and wine journey. Follow Pinnacle on Facebook and Instagram. For the inside track on Pinnacle’s spirits sales, send two text messages to (585)765-7546:
— Text the word “bourbon,” to receive weekly text messages offering the chance to buy rare or allocated whiskies or special prices on popular products.
—Text the word “spirits,” to receive roughly monthly offers on fine spirits other than whiskies.

WHITE MOUNTAIN
1 oz Nigori sake (Wakaze Nigori Sake)
⅔ oz Giffard Peche de Vigne (peach liqueur)
⅓ oz Freshly squeezed lime juice

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake gently with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with a lime wedge or sprig of mint, and serve.

Optional approach (build instead of shake): Fill a sugar-rimmed Old-Fashioned glass with ice (large ice cubes are better). Add all the ingredients and mix gently with a bar spoon. Garnish with a sprig of mint or wedge of lime, and serve.

Take me back to What nigori saké is, and three cocktails to make with it.