Language is a Virus
Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.
I was reminded about the Campari-Benedictine combination, and that duo made me recall my William S. Burrough's tribute The Ticket that Exploded. Therefore, I decided to riff on it using the gin-apple brandy of the Pink Lady as well as dry vermouth as a balance. For a name, I dubbed this one Language is a Virus after a concept in Burrough's novel The Ticket that Exploded.
- Rinse & Repeat — Old Tom Gin, Sweet vermouth, Aperol, Rye, Absinthe, Grapefruit peel
- Décolletage — Reposado Tequila, Aromatized wine, Aperol, Fernet Branca, Orange peel
- Last Nights of Paris — Rye, Sweet vermouth, Aveze, Maraschino Liqueur, Lemon juice, Blackberry
- Alpine Fire — Applejack, Herbal liqueur, Sweet vermouth, Amaro Nonino, Islay Scotch, Orange bitters
- Dreadlock Holiday — Jamaican rum, Suze, Bianco Vermouth, Pineapple liqueur, Lemon peel
Interesting and flavorful. While the ingredients in some cocktails blend together, some contrast, and some others are disjointed, this one is like a slideshow presentation for the palate. The flavors of the components come through in rapid serial fashion: apple brandy at the sip followed by some mildly herbal sweetness from the Benedictine, then the dry wine and wormwood of the Noilly Prat, followed by the characteristic grapefruit peel type bitterness of the Campari that carries through the finish.