blair frodelius 8 Feb 2011
4:21 pm

Robert,

As I was mixing myself one of these tonight, I suddenly realized that this is basically a Negroni using triple sec to sweeten the dry vermouth.  I do like the texture of this tho’, as opposed to a Negroni which tends to be rather crisp.

Cheers!

Blair
Goodspiritsnews(dot)wordpress(dot)com

PS - You know someone is going to ask you where you got the sword picks, so let me be the first.

Ian 8 Feb 2011
5:20 pm

Someone once mentioned that the Negroni works well with Hendrick’s gin. This might likewise…?

Oh and “Bing search” indeed…::rolls eyes::...you can leave the day job behind when you come home you know

Robert Hess 8 Feb 2011
6:18 pm

Blair, these particular sword picks I picked up on eBay, they come in a cool little set similar to this: http://www.etsy.com/listing/29675549/sword-picks I sus,pect they still make things like this, but I haven’t yet found a reliable source for them. You can however get metal sword picks without the fancy holder here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000E7ZTZK/drinkboy

Robert Hess 8 Feb 2011
6:19 pm

Ian… I have no idea what you are talking about… :->

Kimberly Patton-Bragg 9 Feb 2011
9:35 pm

A beautiful drink! Think I just might make one now - I just took up fencing. Completely jealous of your sword picks.

Dan Price 14 Feb 2011
10:20 am

Hi Robert,
I love the bar spoon you use here. Where did you get it?

Robert Hess 14 Feb 2011
11:04 am

Dan, the spoon I am using is one that I really like for stirring cocktails with. It is sort of a cross between a metal stir rod and a bar spoon. The bowl is small enough not to fight with the ice as I stir, but big enough so that I feel I can control the ice better than a simple rod would. The only downside is that the bowl of the barspoon isn’t as useful for measuring or ice-cracking.

I found this spoon in a local kitchen store, it isn’t being sold as a bar spoon but as a long “ice tea” spoon. You can find them online here:
http://www.cheftools.com/prodinfo.asp?number=14-0915+++05

hope that helps!

Ian 15 Feb 2011
6:49 pm

Blair, on the Negroni being rather crisp: I tried the Negroni served straight up, but after forming the same impression I find I much prefer the Negroni built in a glass and served on the rocks. That’s the only way I drink Negronis now (and I do like a Negroni).

Michael S. 15 Mar 2011
8:35 pm

This is a phenomenal cocktail.  It looks beautiful, and the cointreau and campari balance each other very nicely on top of what’s basically a martini base.  I’ve been using an orange peel as a garnish, which I feel complements the flavors of the drink nicely.  Campari and orange is just a great flavor pairing.

Robert Hess 16 Mar 2011
6:29 am

Michael,
Glad you enjoyed it! It was a nice drink to stumple upon (no pun intended).

The Flying Dutchman 8 Jun 2011
1:10 pm

By mistake, I made this cocktail with sweet vermouth instead of dry vermouth. Luckily, it turned out quite delicious all the same. Is there a name for it?

The Flying Dutchman 8 Jun 2011
1:18 pm

Having said that, though, I think the version with dry vermouth is more balanced and even better:)

The Flying Dutchman 8 Jun 2011
1:21 pm

being a stickler for formalities, I used 3 parts gin, 1 part vermouth, 1 part campari and 1 part vermouth. I think the base spirit should make up at least half of the drink.

And I added a dash of orange bitters too…

Thanks, Mr Hess, for this inspiring episode of your show:-)

The Flying Dutchman 8 Jun 2011
1:22 pm

Correction! Please read:

being a stickler for formalities, I used 3 parts gin, 1 part vermouth, 1 part campari and 1 part cointreau. I think the base spirit should make up at least half of the drink.

And I added a dash of orange bitters too…

Thanks, Mr Hess, for this inspiring episode of your show:-)