This is my first entry in the intriguing Mixology Monday "monthly online cocktail party. Cocktail enthusiasts from around the world concoct a cocktail around a given theme, blog about them, and the all the blog entires are summarized. I don't have a blog, but I have a cocktail database, which think is even better.

Many of the past themes have been tempting, but when I saw one featuring bitter ingredients (such as various amari) and brown spirits, I couldn't deny myself the pleasure of an entry. I had been playing around with Luxardo Abano, a lesser known amaro with an intense bitter flavor, moderate sweetness, and a strong black pepper flavor. It plays very well with Cynar, the well-known artichoke-based amaro. I had tried various different base spirits when, during my daily bicycle ride, the inspiration of aquavit came to me. Caraway -- pepper -- artichoke. What could be bad?

I find some aquavit to taste like flavored paint thinner, but the excellent Linie Aquavit is very smooth, with little alcohol burn and a present but not overpowering caraway flavor. I could happily drink it neat or with an ice cube for a change of pace. As a bonus it has a lovely golden color -- close enough to the MxMo "brown".

I suppose that technically this drink should be shaken because it has lemon in it. Shaken, stirred, whatever, the cocktail has a complex bitter profile, with a lovely balance of each of the four ingredients. One of my better efforts. If you try it, feel free to create an account and post comments here.