Two nice drinks tonight.
First, Something Bitter This Way Comes. Rye, CioCiaro, sweet vermouth, Fernet Branca, xocolatl mole bitters, salt. The rye and vermouth I used (Bulleit and Dolin) were a neutral vehicle for the dominant flavors of the amari and bitters. A nice balance of the orange CioCiaro up front and the complementary fernet and chocolate finish thereafter. Good stuff.
Second, the Hoskins Cocktail. Gin base and maraschino sweetener, with multiple layers of orange: Amer PIcon (I used my homemade Amer Boudreau), Cointreau, orange bitters (I used Fee's), and a flamed orange twist. I liked this too. I wondered if the orange-on-orange would seem gimmicky, or would end up medicinal as many orange-focused mixed drinks do for me. But this worked well to me—even using Trader Joe's gin for the Plymouth called for in the recipe. Reminded me a bit of Hall's orange-flavored Vitamin C drops. Kind of a Martinez on steroids.
