plattetude

Poet's Dream, using Dave Wondrich's proportions -- 2 oz gin (Beefeater) 1 oz dry vermouth (Dolin) 1/2 tsp Benedictine 2 dashes orange bitters (Srappy's) Very good, but not as transcendant as I'd had at Lantern's Keep. Next time, I'll try with Plymouth, which I think will keep it a little more "dreamy." Christopher

Don't think that can be classified as a Negroni . I can certainly call it a variation.

I tried an interesting variation last night -- subbed Krogstad aquavit for gin (with Carpano Antica and Luxardo Bitter). Really nice. Christopher

Gruet, maybe? The best New Mexican bubbly you'll find. (Actually, really good. Particularly good for cocktails.) Christopher

Negroni -- Ransom Old Tom, Luxardo Bitter, and Punt e Mes (equal parts). Really nice, rich variant on the standard. Christopher

Off-the-cuff use of my new bottle of Bitterman's Hellfire Shrub: 2 oz blanco tequila (El Tesoro) 1 oz blanc vermouth (Dolin) 1/4 oz Cynar 12 drops Hellfire Shrub Me likey.

You can only assume so much about the quality of the food and the judging based on how the Magical Elves have edited. Invariably, *every* judges' table session is likely going to be edited to make it look close so there's some degree of suspense. It's entertainment first and foremost. If you want a clearer explanation of why they made the choice they did, check the Top Chef blogs. (Frankly, I'm so little invested in the outcome with this lot that I don't have the interest myself.) But piling on with everyone, yeah, those were some ludicrous challenges last night. Christopher

Except that was Heather who made the cake twice, not Sarah.

I think the (geographically) closest viable option is Lantern's Keep at the Iroquois. But that's not exactly in the same neighborhood. Christopher

Last night's tipple: 2 oz Patron Reposado 1/2 oz Cynar 1/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse 3 dashes Bitterman's Xocolatl Mole Bitters Good stuff.

One key difference: Final Ward also subs lemon for lime. But either can certainly work. Christopher

Me, I certainly lean heavily on Chartreuse (always have both yellow and green, but tend to use the green more), apricot liqueur (Rothman and Winter), but even moreso, Cynar is a major ingredient for me. Probably due more than anything to Rogue Beta Cocktails, which features a few absolute knockout cocktails featuring Cynar. (Favorite being "Growing Old and Dying Happy Is A Hope, Not an Inevitability", which as a cocktail, certainly earns it's long, long name.) Christopher

Cobbled together this last night: 2 oz Laird's bonded Applejack 3/4 oz Bonal gentiane 1/4 oz Cynar 1/4 oz R&W Orchard Apricot 3 dashes TBT orange bitters Stir, coupe, enjoy. Probably could've bumped up the R&W, or even dashed in a bit of simple, but overall, a winner. I do like the dual but distinct bitternesses of the Bonal and the Cynar. Christopher

Not exactly, but something similar I got some years ago (and love): Click! Christopher

What I've come to call a "Hemingway Mocquiri": 2 oz white rum (Matusalem) 1 oz lime 1/4 oz Campari 1/4 oz maraschino simple syrup to taste float of Wray and Nephew's overproof rum Basically (and one assumes obviously) a riff on a Hemingway Daiquiri, with the lime+Campari standing in for the lime+grapefruit, which is useful when one's larder has limes far more often than grapefruit. And it's so tasty, mock or otherwise. Christopher (edited to add float)