Cocktail Tease

Pop Quiz: Bourbon, ramozzotti, chocolate mole bitters by Devon Tarby at the Varnish.

The Next Door Old Fashioned @nextdoorbyjosie: bourbon, bitters, tangelo marmalade. Heavy on bourbon, not sweet.

Bourbon Pig: bacon fat washed Bulleit bourbon, Angostura, sugar, pig ear garnish at Umamicatessen

Fade to Black: 103 proof bourbon, clement canne syrup, walnut bitters at Black Market Liquor Bar

My new favorite cocktail is the Boulevardier — a cross between my two old favorites, the Negroni and the Manhattan. But after reading this @NYTimesfood article about it which encouraged experimenting I decided to play around with it at home.

Since I LOVE coffee, I decided to play that up in my version of the cocktail with Java Juice, a coffee extract that my friend @thirstyinla gave me. Now, this extract is pretty potent so I had to experiment with different amounts and I found that a splash overpowered the cocktail. But a dash was enough to complement the Carpano and give the cocktail that hint of coffee that I love. Yum. Rich, complex, delicious.

I don’t have a name for the cocktail yet. I’m guessing a play on the words coffee and Boulevardier would be good, with a hint of addiction but for now I’m claiming it.

The CoCktail

• 2 ounces bourbon
• 1 ounce Campari
• 1 ounce Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
• 1 dash of Java Juice

Combine ingredients in mixing glass filled with ice. Stir and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon zest.

Blonde Comet: Elijah Craig, peach brandy, grapefruit, Angostura. @oldfields_bar

Boulevardier: bourbon, campari, carpano, orange twist

Whitman’s Old Fashioned w/ Maker’s Earl Grey syrup, cherry, bitters, soda. Saccharine sweet.

Here’s @liquor’s bourbon gift guide. What’s on your whiskey wishlist?