Mr. Keith

Gonna find my way to heaven, ’cause I did my time in hell
I wasn't looking too good but I was feeling real well

—Before they Make Me Run, M. Jagger/K. Richards

Tiki time again, or in this case, tikibilly cuz there’s definitely some rock and roll in this one. Inspiration came from the mug below, Ye Olde Treasure Mappe, found on a recent trip to Portland, Oregon. (There’s just something tikibilly about Portland, one of the many reasons I keep going back.) The Mappe is one of a numbered edition designed by Katie Mello of Rum Demon.



Mr. Keith

• 1 oz Bacardi 151
• 1 oz Averna
• 1/2 oz Cruzan Blackstrap
• 1/2 oz allspice dram
• 1 tsp absinthe
• 1/4 oz lemon juice

Shake with a cup of crushed ice, and pour into a 12-oz mug or glass. Crushed ice to fill, straw.
SOURCE: ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

Dark, spicy, intense. This one made me think right away of a certain guitarist, but shares a name with my housemate’s dad as well. This drink is for him.

Bronxathon: Averna Bronx

Changing the vermouth in the Bronx Cocktail for something round and rich in the amaro range improves the balance and overall synthesis without changing the basic profile of the drink. This one makes me want to experiment with other amari.



Averna Bronx

• 1 1/2 oz Tanqueray gin
• 1/2 oz Averna
• 1/2 oz Dolin Dry vermouth
• 3/4 oz orange juice
• 1 dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Orange twist.
SOURCE: ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

Averna-Gin Sling

Collins or sling, collins or sling? This is pretty much the same thing as the previous post but made with gin for a much drier effect. The dry cherry-gin combo puts it in Singapore Sling territory. The edgier gins I like for Martinis and Negronis seem to me too abrasive for certain sours. Bombay is just right.



Averna-Gin Sling

• 2 oz Bombay gin
• 1 oz Amaro Averna
• 1/2 oz maraschino liqueur
• 1 oz lemon juice
• soda

Shake all but soda with ice and strain into an ice-filled tall glass. Fill with soda. Cherry and lemon.
SOURCE: ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

Averna-Rum Collins

OK—maybe I could’ve come up with a clever name, but the Yuletide makes me lazy, and at least you have some clue what to expect. It’s tempting to call this a sling instead since it’s got a slightly tiki-like ambiance, but slings aren’t what they used to be and I’m not in the mood for semantics.



Averna-Rum Collins

• 2 oz 10 Cane rum
• 1 oz Amaro Averna
• 1/2 oz maraschino liqueur
• 1 oz lime juice
• soda water

Shake all but soda with ice and strain into an ice-filled tall glass. Fill with soda. Cherry and lime.
SOURCE: ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

MxMo XLX: Brown, Bitter and Stirred

This Mixology Monday is hosted by Lindsey Johnson of Brown, Bitter and Stirred, and the name of her blog is also her theme. Would any of us here at the Fogged In Lounge know anything about brown booze and bitterness? Would we, ladies and gentlemen? Would the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune make us want now and then to climb down the neck of a Wild Turkey and not come out until Thanksgiving? Would some of us feel so buffeted by the Winds of War—or even Whoopie—that we might occasionally want to sip slowly on a glass of Zwack in which had steeped a bunch of rue and a couple of filthy pennies? Well, maybe not that bad. Life can’t be as bad as all that—right, ladies and gentlemen? Here—try this nice drink. It’s not half as bitter as all that.



The Brown Study

• 1 1/2 oz single malt Scotch
• 1/4 oz Averna
• 1/4 oz Campari
• 1/4 oz maraschino
• 4 dashes Regans’ No. 6 orange bitters

Stir gently with ice until the mixing glass frosts and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
SOURCE: ROWEN, FOGGED IN LOUNGE

For the malt, I happened to use the end of my Highland Park, though something with a little more iodine would be good too.

The Black Manhattan

The famous San Francisco summer fog has me in the mood for amaro cocktails. I half-remembered reading somewhere about a Manhattan variation with Averna. While I never did find the article I was thinking of, Paul Clarke mentions having had this cocktail at Bourbon & Branch, where it was made with Eagle Rare bourbon and called the Black Manhattan. I had Eagle Rare around so that was easily settled on, and I used Angostura for the bitters. There’s a Washington Post article that suggests Regans’ orange bitters as well as aromatic bitters, which seemed a nice touch.



Black Manhattan

• 2 oz bourbon
• 1 oz Averna
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• 1 dash Regans' orange bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
SOURCE: COMPOSITE, ADAPTED FROM BOURBON & BRANCH

The Averna made for an attractively dark drink. This was a little heavy for me, though the housemate and I enjoyed it. We tried it 2:1 first, but it was more to my taste with 2 ounces bourbon to about 2/3 of an ounce of Averna. And maybe the bitters got lost under the weight of the Averna and I should’ve found something with more contrast. The cherry garnish was unobjectionable, but my next try will be with a twist—maybe a even a flamed orange peel would be good for this one.

QUESTIONS FROM THE BEFOGGED: Anybody have a preference for bitters for the Black Manhattan? Do you have a favorite Averna cocktail?