Here’s A Cocktail Named After A 1960s-Era Sculpture In Flushing Meadows Corona Park

So Jen wanted a rum cocktail this evening and I was flipping through the Jones’ Complete Barguide, going back and forth between the index and names of things that didn’t sound too ridiculous (you assume “Goat’s Delight” will be heinous but it’s actually much less bizarre than the “Mae West,” which is brandy, sugar, cayenne pepper and an egg folk — no, seriously) and I stumbled — not “literally” but out of nowhere just alighted on it — on the Unisphere cocktail: six parts rum, one part grenadine, two parts lime juice, one part Benedictine and one part Pernod (I used a pastis substitute, full disclosure). As you might expect, the anise flavor is present, though it kind of recedes after a while. Why it’s the Unisphere, I have no earthly idea: that said, they made them during a ’64-’65 World’s Fair commemoration in 2008.

We both thought the taste seemed a little thin, and wondered if a little simple syrup would help sort of fill out the texture. It’s a strange combination but even so, we both liked it . . . maybe tweak, who knows.

Invented By The Hair Of My Chinny Chin-Chin.

So after coming with this intensely Fernet-Brancatious cocktail, the next day I was tasked with something a little less Brancatious. My first thought was to go for something gin-based, mostly because I think I get really sidetracked by bitters in bourbon. Gin’s a little out of my comfort zone, so it becomes a fun challenge.

Mr. Boston has a lot of good gin cocktails. One I’m surprised I hadn’t already tried because it has a few ingredients I’d been trying to mix into stuff is the “Solomon Sling” (page 95), I guess a variation on a Singapore Sling. It’s six parts gin, three parts lemon juice, two parts simple syrup, two parts kirschwasser, one part Cherry Heering (or the knockoff I used) and one dash Angostura bitters.

It was really elegant, I don’t want to say “surprisingly” so but definitely elegant, like a cocktail you’d get at a cocktail bar.

When You’re Keyed In, It’s Less “Bar Guide” Than “Barguide”

The only — only — reason I haven’t pulled out Stan Jones’ Jones’ Complete Barguide before now is because it’s huge, and we have books stacked on top of each other in terribly inconvenient contortions, and so it’s been on the bottom of that stack.

That’s a mistake because it’s encyclopedic and incredibly useful. I like in particular the index that links individual ingredients to recipes. It’s less useful for “whiskey” but it’s very good for more obscure items: stuff like Fernet-Branca and Dubonnet. I haven’t delved too deeply into the first 200 pages (!) of single-space detail about all manner of drinkology, but it’s a great resource. Apparently the thing is out of print. The price tag on our copy is “$3.00.” I haven’t asked where it came from.

So I took advantage of that index to look up something to make with Fernet-Branca, and settled on a Fanciulli: Four parts bourbon, two parts sweet vermouth and one part Fernet-Branca. I did not make it “frappe style” in a “snow cone” type of built cocktail. It was a little Fernet-Brancatious, pretty bitter. I would try cutting the Fernet-Branca in half, just to try it.

[Googling]

Honestly, it’s a shame this thing is out of print; it’s really good. Strange in parts: unless I’m misreading what “variations” are, it appears like the two variations of some drinks are different in every way. And the layout is awesome: it’s like a 1970s dissertation. Love it.

Mint-Based Cocktails

Jen felt like a cocktail with mint, which we had in the fridge, so I googled it, looked no further than the first two results, and found basically the same kind of recipes you’d imagine people make with mint: julep, mojito, that which is tiki-inspired. This link led to this Pimm’s-based cocktail, something with Pimm’s, Fernet-Branca, ginger ale, lemon, mint and cucumbers (I’ve not yet broached the cucumber realm at home; not sure I ever will). I hate topping things off with ginger ale or club soda or anything else because it seems impure. Also, we don’t have any Pimm’s. And then there’s the cucumber thing. So here’s what I made:

2 ounces gin
.5 ounce lemon juce
.5 ounce simple syrup
.25 ounce Fernet-Branca
mint (like 4-6 big leaves)

I muddled the mint and combined the rest in an ice-filled shaker. Serve.

This was good; I’d make it again.

When A Negroni Is More Like A Syrupy Manhattan

We tried the negroni proportions (1 part-1 part-1 part) with rye whiskey, Amaro CioCiaro and sweet vermouth. It was good but I’m just now realizing it’s sort of like a really whiskey-light Manhattan, isn’t it?