Created for Mixology Monday LXVI, "Green". MxMo is an quasi-monthly on-line cocktail creation event ... sponsored for October 2012 by Ed at Wordsmithing Pantagruel. Ed relaxed the challenge this month: create a cocktail incorporating green in some fashion: the color of an ingredient, a bottle's label, color of your socks while mixing. Almost anything.

The Last Word is certainly worthy of its status as a classic. Made as usual with Maraschino liqueur,  herbal Chartreuse is skewed towards the Maraschino's funkiness. In the Bad Word, it is instead skewed toward the bitter. Gran Classico is a Campari-like amaro, with a bright character and an amber color.

If Gran Classico is unavailable, substitute Campari, but the lovely yellow-green color will be lost. This is certainly one of my more successful uses of amari to elevate already great cocktails to the sublime. If you like that sort of thing.

I love the combination of gran classico and chartreuse- great idea. I like maraschino, but anymore I tend to only want a barspoon or so in a cocktail. I really like this drink and I prefer it to the last word, but I found myself thinking about using rye and lemon instead of gin and lime next time. And then I realized I was only an ingredient away from the balsa airplane, which is still an all-time favorite.

This is a drink about which I have mixed feelings. On my first sip, I found the drink to be intensely bitter, with my first impulse to be "throw the damn thing out!" However, after several more sips, I found the drink still to be bitter, like most Nargoni-like drinks, but I found myself rather liking the drink. For those of you who read the prior comments, let me clarify several points: one person said the drink was too "unctuous," which means greasy or fatty, which this drink is not. Another person said it was sublime, which means awe-inspring, This drink is not that, either.

How would I describe it? Here are three ways: (1) A drink needing to get used to, (2) one that's intense tasting, and (3) one that's bitter, sour, or tart--take your pick. Now, am I saying don't bother with this drink? No! Not by any means. But I am saying the following: First, be prepared for a bitter and/or tart tasting drink. After all, consider the ingredients: Chartruese, lime, and gran classico. All say bitter/sour/tart. Second, like me, you may be inclined to say, "Yuck! This drink is terrible. I say, take a few more sips; you'll probably, as I did, end up rather liking the drink. Now, you're probably wondering how I rated the drink; Well, I rated it a _____.

Inspired by this recipe (and lacking some of the ingredients above), I did one with: 1.5 Bourbon (Makers); 0.5 Cynar; 0.5 Dry Vermouth; 0.25 Luxardo Maraschino; 1 dash Absinthe. Stirred. I may have drifted a little too far to call mine a variation, but it was tasty.

Simonson has it as 1/2 oz Maraschino. Giving it a try that way even though 1/4 oz seems reasonable especially the Brooklyn variation roots.

Curated to an authentic recipe, 2008 creation, added Regan's bitters which was missing for some reason. Set maraschino to 1/2 as called for in the source link (matching the authentic recipe), even though 1/4 seems an improvement based on tasting the original where 1/2 oz maraschino dominates.

I like this better than the Brooklyn.

The earliest known Brooklyn recipe is this from Jack's Manual circa 1908. The dry vermouth variation won out though.

This is a great riff of the Manhattan, to me the best cocktail in the world. I‘ve had it many times, and the ultimate combination is Sazerac Rye, Cinzano 1757, Amer Picon and Maraska Maraschino from Croatia. So balanced and elegant!

Curated to update broken source link.

This is close to the original 1908 Brooklyn/Dean Cocktail in Jack Grohusko's 1908 "Jack's Manual". The original Brooklyn used sweet vermouth (not dry)...although the Dean Cocktail in the same work is identical, so it might have been a transcription/printing error that carried through in later editions as well. The original 1908 Brooklyn was equal parts rye and vermouth w/ small amounts of Amer Picon and maraschino.

The current recipe using imported 21% ABV Amer Picon is somewhat disappointing, at least when paired with Rittenhouse and Carpano Antica. (Cocchi di Torino might be better based on a previous trial of the 1908 Brooklyn w/Amer Picon.) The current Amer Picon is a reformulation that lacks some of the character of the original pre-1970 formula. The orange aroma is present, but the orange flavor is mostly absent supplanted with more of a coffee ground center. I plan to retry this with Amer Boudreau, but there is a long lead time on making a batch of the dried orange peel tincture used to make it. In the meantime, I suspect Phil Ward's recommendation of Amaro Lucano would be better, or Bigallet China-China Amer which would deliver the orange flavor that went missing. And for a shorter term solution, Darren Scott's Amer Picon facsimile using a mix of dried bitter orange and fresh orange peel bitters could be worth a try.

The NYC crew settled on Amaro Ciociaro as the closest match that is easily available over Lucano (especially given the Sam Ross' app and other Milk & Honey related recipes). Lucano is elegant but a little softer in flavor instead of packing the ability to do what it needs to in a 1/4 oz like Ciociaro or the current Picon.

Yes, I was surprised by the Lucano recommendation as it lacks as much orange, particularly on the nose. There are about half a dozen cocktails that I like to make with Lucano, but CioCiaro has been the traditional recommended amaro sub for Picon (not counting the more orange flavored, but sweeter Bigallet China-china.)

I really like the punt e mes and nardini together- a spicy and rich cocktail. Thanks for sharing this!

Updated this to reflect the recipe in the Death and Co. book.

Thanks,

Zachary

I'm pretty excited about all of these brooklyn variations- thanks for rounding them up! I started with this one, using imbue bittersweet vermouth in place of dry since it was open, and bulleit rye. Really delicious, and a great use for montenegro- though I'm sure any of the lighter amari would work well if one didn't have it. I wasn't sure about the cucumber slices, but they work well with the herbaceousness of the rye and vermouth.

Thanks! I had to make it with Meletti, actually, which didn't seem right at all. Glad it works!

I love meletti, but that would be a very different drink. Can you get cora, vecchio del capo, or bittermen's amere nouvelle? Or maybe ciociaro? Those would all be in the right neighborhood I think...

Very light and moderately dry. A bit of muddling wouldn't hurt to get more cucumber into the flavor profile. A nice variation, but not one I would return to often.

Dry and boozy.

Can you share the recipe for the fig syrup? I can add it to the notes.

Thanks,

Zachary

Moderated slightly. Dry hopped fig syrup is too specific to warrant its own ingredient entry. I changed it to simple syrup with a note of dry hopped fig. Thanks.