Vermouth cobbler

Like the julep, this delicious potation is an American invention, although it is now a favorite in all warm climates.  The "cobbler" does not require much skill in compounding, but to make it acceptable to the eye, as well as to the palate, it is necessary to display some taste in ornamenting the glass after the beverage is made.  We give an illustration showing how a cobbler should look when make to suit an epicure.  ~Jerry Thomas, How to Mix Drinks. 1862.

2 oz sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica)

1 barspoon sugar

1 orange slice

Shake with ice; garnish with berries in-season.

I met up with my friends John and Amy at Cure last week, and settled in for a night of tasting.  I had had in mind for a few days the desire to experiment with low-proof concoctions, mostly using a wine or fortified wine base.  Champagne cocktails, sherry cobblers, vermouth cocktails, and the like was what I was thinking. I asked Kirk to make me a drink from Jerry Thomas, and, without knowing the above considerations, made me a vermouth cobbler.  As you can see, he clearly takes Professor Thomas's statement about ornamentation seriously.  The Carpano's rich herbal tones made this a much more complex drink than it would have been with a more typical sweet vermouth.  What's even better, after I had this drink, I didn't feel a thing. I went on to drink two flips and a champagne cocktail with virtually no ill effects.  Cheers to new discoveries that let you drink all night without becoming an embarrassment!

Art of Choke

I have had a few great drinking experiences.  One came at the Violet Hour, where I met Kyle Davidson and Stephen Cole, two of the best mixologists and most gracious hosts I've had the pleasure of meeting.  One of Kyle's signature drinks (along with the Goodbye Marie [a.k.a The Davidson]) is the Art of Choke.  This is one of those inspired creations that rises above (way above) all those newfangled drinks to the level of modern classic.  This is easily on my list of 20 best drinks, and it may break the top ten overall.  If you're in the mood for it, it's a top 5 drink, in my opinion.  

In rogue cocktails, published my Maksym Pazuniak of The Counting Room and Kirk Estopinal of Cure, we can read this description of the Art of Choke: 

Picture yourself in the limestone-walled courtyard of an Italian villa off the coast of the Riviera. You are surrounded by fragrant herbs and flowers, and the sea air is blowing gently. The sun is bright, but it's not hot, and you have nothing to do all day but relax and savor the sensations all around you. Drinking this cocktail is kind of like that if somebody suddenly punched you in the stomach just as you were beginning to doze off in the sun. In a good way.

So how do you make it?