twothirds

Cynar is the latest addition to the liquor cabinet. Made by the Campari group, this lesser known liquor infused with 13 herbs and plants is a similar concept to its red brother (bitter apéritif). In theory you can substitute Cynar for Campari and some will swap it out for Italian Vermouth.

To get a true sense of my new purchase, my first Cynar cocktail was on the rocks with an Orange slice before dinner. The drink has a great bittersweet balance and no one herb or plant overpowers. If you can stomach Campari, your palate will accept Cynar. While Cynar will not displace Campari as my favorite spirit, it will see plenty of action in the coming months.

Some interesting Cynar drinks found on the interweb include:

Tom Waits was Here
(unknown quantities)

• Cynar
• Jack Daniels
• Triple Sec

Cin-cyn

• 1 ounce artichoke-flavored liqueur, such as Cynar brand
• 1 ounce gin
• 1 ounce sweet vermouth
• Dash bitters, either Peychaud or Angostura brand
• 2 orange wedges, sliced 1/2-inch thick

Cynar Biere

• 1 oz Cynar
• 1/3 oz lemon syrup
• 14 oz beer

Choke Artist
from The Art of the Bar, by Jeff Hollinger and Rob Schwartz

• 1 ounce Cynar
• 1 ounce Gran Centenario Anejo tequila
• ½ ounce fino sherry
• 5 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters No. 6
• Extra-wide orange twist for garnish

Combine the Cynar, tequila, and sherry in an ice-filled mixing glass and stir. Add the bitters to a chilled snifter and roll around to coat the glass. Pour the Cynar and tequila mixture into the snifter. Garnish with the orange twist.

I had a Negroni last night at Town in San Carlos. Gawd–they butchered it. I think they actually gave me an Americano (less the soda) given it lacked a kick and the drink was on the brown side. It was also served with a lemon twist. At least they were able to redeem themselves with a Chimay served in the proper glass.

I still cannot believe how many bartenders butcher such a simple drink. They are able to whip out satisfying chick-tinis with ten different ingredients and please the lady folk, but they cannot hit the mark on a drink with three ingredients of equal parts? Pretty soon I will have to start interviewing bartenders before I order a drink.

So far, my biggest Negroni pet peeves are:

Serving Up
This drink is to be served on the rocks. Given the red hue of the drink, it can easily be mistaken for a fruity chick-tini. No self respecting man wants to be thought of as a chick-tini drinker.

Wrong Twist
There are a few different variations on the proper style of orange to go with the drink. The best recipes call for a flamed orange peel. I have only seen that done at one old-school bar in NYC. Chances are you will never see this done as it is labor intensive and most bartenders don’t give a crap.

Other variations call for an orange slice. This is quite acceptable as well, but not my preferred variation.

My favorite “middle ground” is an orange twist. Although, I am not talking about one of those pre-sliced twists that have been sitting around since the shift start at 4PM. I want a fresh twist sliced out of an orange with my glass in immediate range of all the orange zest oil that will shoot out. This gives such a favorable sweet subtleness to the drink. Mmmm. Orange oil.

Wrong Ingredients
Given the drink is three ingredients of equal parts, how can anyone manage to f- this up? Seriously…..1.5 oz gin, 1.5 oz sweet vermouth, 1.5 oz gin. Done!

Too bad it is only 10AM. If it were past Noon, I would mix myself up a favorable Negroni

The past few months have seen many failures on the Campari front. I should just pre-print the drink recipe and hand it out when I make the order to cut out all the overhead.

Isa SF

Isa actually had a Negroni on the drinks menu. “Sweet!” Unfortunately, they only have a beer and wine license so it was actually a faux-groni. WTF?!?! How do you mock a Negroni without a sprit? I bunted and asked for a wine list. I was not up for a $9 experiment.

Melting Pot San Mateo

“You want a what,” asked the bartender? I explained the drink and now the 20-something bartender knows what the hell a Negroni is. The drink actually turned out alright, if not a bit small.

Tanglewood

The waiter had never heard of a Negroni before and had no idea what I asked for. Five-minutes after taking my order, he came back and said, “the bartender does not know what a Cargroni is.” Hmm. That’s probably a good thing. How about a “Neh–groni” instead. The drink had a lemon twist which pissed me off a bit, but there was nothing fundamentally wrong with the drink. The meal on the other hand—well, let’s just say I will not be going back.

(Incidentally, Tanglewood is owned by Left Bank. Since I have a strong dislike for Left Bank, my Tanglewood experience makes a lot of sense.)

PF Chang’s

Yeah. What the hell was I thinking ordering a Negroni here. It was at least 60% Vermouth. I drank half of it and punted. Shame on me. Next time stick with a beer from a bottle.

I was in the craptastic San Mateo Bevmo today. God I loathe that place. Every time I am in there I fear I am going to:

• Knock over an entire display case because it is soo friggin’ small
• Get my ass kicked by one of the clientèle using their pay check to buy booze

Anyway, I finally picked up a bottle Green Chartreuse. This was the missing ingredient preventing me from mixing up a “Sappho“. I finally mixed one up today, but sure enough, the glass I used cracked after my first sip. Considering I am low on Gin and I only have Triple Sec (not suggested Cointreau), I figure I will defer the Sappho for a later date. It just wasn’t meant to be tonight.

On another note, I did take a swig straight from the bottle (room temperature). My first impression seems to sync up with this guys description:

Green Chartreuse is a liqueur that was invented when Satan was tired of peeing in the mouths of the damned with his eight-headed penis.

I imagine the drink takes on different characteristics when mixed or cold, but this is not intended for “neat” at room temp. At least it is not intended for me.

I picked up some bitters today and conquered the Rosita. Unlike the Negroni, I will not be seeking this drink during local and/or cross country visits to bars. While I like the initial hit of the bitters and Campari, the Tequila finish is way too strong. This probably has more to do with my limited bar and not necessarily the drink as I only have the more flavorful “Anejo” Tequila. The next time I have some Silver around the house I’ll give Rosita another try.

A wedding brought me to NYC enabling me to push my Negroni quest across the country. NYC definitely kicks the Bay Area’s ass when it comes to Negroni skills.

NYC produced four successful Negroni orders without hesitation. One restaurant even had it on the drink menu. Too bad the food sucked.

The Negroni winner overall was the Waverly Inn. They go through the trouble of first chilling the mixture and flaming the orange peel (per drink spec). Most places cannot be bothered with these details. Good thing Waverly Inn is ~3000 miles from home. The drinks are in the double digit dollar range.

I still need to procure some Green Chartreuse for a Sappho. In the mean time, I should be able to whip up a Rosita.

Rosita

Makes 1 drink

* 1 1/2 ounces Tequila (100 percent agave blanco or reposado Tequilas work best)
* 1 ounce Campari
* 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
* 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
* 1 dash Angostura bitters
* 1 lemon twist, for garnish

Instructions: Pour all the ingredients into a large old-fashioned glass filled with crushed ice. Stir briefly and add the garnish.

Lars has just tipped me off about a drink to fuel my Campari obsession:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/12/WIAESHSJV.DTL&feed=rss.wine

Sappho

Makes 1 drink

Adapted from a recipe by Rafael Ballesteros, Spain.

* Green Chartreuse, to rinse glass
* 2 1/2 ounces gin
* 1/2 ounce Campari
* 1/4 ounce Cointreau
* 1 orange twist, for garnish

Instructions: Pour the Chartreuse into a chilled cocktail glass, and by tilting the glass and rotating it at the same time, coat the entire interior with the liqueur. Discard the excess Chartreuse. Fill a mixing glass two-thirds full of ice and add the gin, Campari and Cointreau. Stir for approximately 30 seconds, strain into the prepared cocktail glass, and add the garnish.

Given how much trouble I have ordering a Negroni, I won’t dare order this in a bar. By the way, what the hell is Chartreuse? Ahhh–I think I am gonna like it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartreuse_(liqueur)

Green Chartreuse (110 proof or 55%) is a naturally green liqueur flavored with extracts from 130 plants with its coloring coming from chlorophyll and from which the name of the color is derived.

I was told I would hate Campari the first time I drank it. That is the advice I pass on when others inquire about my cocktail.

I have finally realized my mission in life. If I do one thing before I die, it is to popularize the “Negroni”. There is nothing better than this bitter goodness from Italy with Campari, Sweet Vermouth and Gin. It is my favorite drink before a meal. Hell, I have even snuck a few after meals. The only problem is, I get too many blank stares when I order it. Recently, I have gotten a “Sorry we are out of it!”, and a “How do you spell that?” Maybe I need to spend more time in North Beach, ’cause the Peninsula just doesn’t get it.

For those establishments that do make it on a semi-regular basis for the 82-year old WWII vet or the 20-something that read about it in Pop Magazine, for some odd reason the trend is to serve it “Up” in a martini glass. While I have no problem drinking a dirty martini in this fashion, a “rose” colored drink in this stemware makes it look like some fruity elixir on a happy-hour menu. As I have a manhood issue, I prefer to take mine on the rocks. Officially, it gets a orange peel twist, but I like mine with a lime. For the record, the drink is:

In an “old fashioned” glass full of ice…

• one part Campari
• one part gin
• one part sweet vermouth
• twist of orange peel

Some of the recent comments at bars include:

• Astaria — “I generally make this ‘up’. Let me know if it is OK”
• Astaria (a few weeks later with a different bar tender) — “I have no idea how to make that.” Thankfully, the “up” bartender was there to make it.
• Fanny and Alexander — “Sorry, we are out” (waiter, via bartender) — Eventually I got a Negroni with dry vermouth.
• Kingfish — “How do you spell that?” (waitress) — Eventually, I did get a good drink on the rocks. (The waitress was soft on the eyes, but lacking in other categories.)
• Town — The 20-something bartender had to consult the “experienced” bartender. The drink was a bit gin-heavy.