Monte Carlo

When I was first getting interested in mixed drinks, I made this for a good-sized cocktail party, cranking it out in batches. Flinty-dry white Bordeaux was also on offer. I don’t remember how I did it that time (especially with a blitz of canapés too), but surely would’ve used Angostura Bitters. Jeff Hollinger and Rob Schwartz suggest Peychaud’s, which seems like a nice touch with the rye. For the proportions, I went with the Robert Hess version this time.



Monte Carlo Cocktail

• 2 oz rye
• 1/2 oz Bénédictine
• 2 dashes Angostura or Peychaud’s Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Lemon twist.
SOURCE: COMPOSITE

For the rye, I went with Rittenhouse 100, which did a nice job of drying down the Bénédictine. Some versions mention the lemon twist, others don’t. I like it, particularly with Peychaud’s.