Slope
Stir, strain, straight up, cocktail glass, garnish.
Twitter interaction with the creator
- Created as a "Manhattan that is not a Manhattan" (and a sort of companion drink to the Gin Blossom). Sadly, just not much different/better than a Manhattan.
- Other Brooklyn drinks (e.g. Prospect Park) are more to my liking.
- Poughkeepsie — Rye, Cognac VSOP, Sweet vermouth, Bitters
- Coolidge — Rye, Sweet vermouth, Eau de vie of Douglas Fir
- The Bowery — Rye, Amontillado Sherry, Ramazzotti, Apricot liqueur, Absinthe, Orange peel
- New York Cocktail — Whiskey, Red wine, Bitters, Demerara syrup
- Golden France Football — Armagnac, Bianco Vermouth, Pastis, Bitters, Orange peel
Curated this - because there was some confusion as to the proportions of this drink, I asked Julie Reiner and she sent me a picture of the recipe (which must be from The Craft Cocktail Party). Updated this to the specified brands - she's specific about them, changed 1 dash of Angostura to 2. Thanks, Zachary
Should this be called "The Slope" rather than just "Slope"? That is the primary way I see it listed, and it refers to a neighborhood, so the emphasis would make sense here. There seem to be a LOT of slight variations of this cocktail including later versions (plural) attributed to Julie Reiner herself. There is a 2017 video by her using Maker's Mark bourbon (rather than rye) and Giffard Apricot--so it doesn't look like formula is set as one might expect. In various recipes on the web the base spirit is listed from 2 to 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 oz, while apricot is from 1/4 to 1/2 and Angostura bitters from 1 to 2 dashes.
I tried two different versions of this tonight based on a slightly different recipe and thought it was quite good (as did the others who sampled what I made.) I used "only" 2 oz of Rittenhouse Rye for both, with 3/4 Punt e Mes, and 1/4 R&W Apricot. This had plenty of peppery rye and alcohol heat which reinforced the bitter components in Punt e Mes. I used a single dash of Angostura for one, and a single dash of Abbott's bitters (my own bottling based on Darcy O'Neil's recipe) for the other.
The Angostura was pretty noticeable at only a dash, and this cocktail is a good candidate for experimenting with different aromatic bitters to appreciate the differences they provide. I somewhat preferred the cardamom/clove/fennel from the Abbott's over the more cinnamon baking spice of the Angostura, but others were evenly split as to preference.