Cocktails with Carpano Punt e Mes

[slkinsey]

Sounds good, and a little like the Red Hook, itself inspired by the Brooklyn, with the addition of vermouth:

Red Hook

2.0 oz : rye (Old Overholt)

0.5 oz : maraschino

0.5 oz : Punt e Mes

[phlip]

recently that is since the sazerac 6 yr came out have made a manhattan 2parts sazerac 6yr to 1 part punt e mezz with a dash or so of orange bitters and a flamed orange twist. call it an orange county (or well thats what the boss called it) its an oddly fine concoction. also found its not the same with other ryes i tried. all around i find good reason to use punt e mezz more and more im glad this thread is being rehashed.

[slkinsey]

I find that even adding just a touch of Punt e Mes -- not enough to add much bitterness -- to a Manhattan-type drink provides a very much longer finish.

[The Hersch]

I see that the Punt e Mes bottle no longer carries the name Carpano. Is there a story behind this?

[slkinsey]

Hmm. Who knows? It's still made by Fratelli Branca, but I notice that appears under the "Branca line" on the company web site as a separate beverage, rather than together with Carpano Bianco, Carpano Classico and Antica Formula under the "Carpano line." And the bottle is now different. I'm not sure what this means, except that they rebranded. This seems odd to me, since Punt e Mes was developed in the shop of Antonio Benedetto Carpano (the supposed inventor of vermouth as we know it).

[Bricktop]

Sometimes you find the strangest things in the strangest places. Last week, I went into a liquor store that I have not been back into since before I got interested in cocktails. To my delight, they had 5 bottles of Carpano Antica on the shelf. They now have 2.

Edited April 9, 2007 by Bricktop (log)

[Alchemist]

I find that even adding just a touch of Punt e Mes -- not enough to add much bitterness -- to a Manhattan-type drink provides a very much longer finish.

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This is a very interesting idea. If one uses potable bitters in splooshes and splashes to add needed layers, complexity or roundness to a cocktail, the possibilities are endless. Why not a sploosh of Campari to that Manhattan, or a drizzle of Punt y Mez to the Martinez? And if we are going there a rinse of Amaro in an Old Fashioned? We are blessed with a plethora of wonderful ingredients now a day’s let’s use them for f*%k’s sake.

[birder53]

And let's not forget Phillip Ward's Cornwall Negroni, Aud!

Cornwall Negroni

Created by Phillip Ward, Pegu Club, New York, 2005.

2 ounces Beefeater gin

1/2 ounce Campari

1/2 ounce Punt e Mes

1/2 ounce sweet vermouth

2 dashes orange bitters

1 orange twist, as garnish

Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Add the garnish.

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We've been looking for something to do with our bottle of Beefeater and this was just perfect! The combination of Campari and Punt e Mes would overwhelm Plymouth, our usual gin of choice. Very, very nice!

[mkayahara]

Since we're talking replicas and the true nature of Punt e Mes, I'm wondering if anyone knows of a good replica of and/or substitute for Punt e Mes. Is there some type of amaro that I can add to some type of vermouth in some proportion to get a reasonable approximation? Punt e Mes isn't available through Ontario's liquor board, and I feel like I'm missing out on something important here!

[bostonapothecary]

Since we're talking replicas and the true nature of Punt e Mes, I'm wondering if anyone knows of a good replica of and/or substitute for Punt e Mes. Is there some type of amaro that I can add to some type of vermouth in some proportion to get a reasonable approximation? Punt e Mes isn't available through Ontario's liquor board, and I feel like I'm missing out on something important here!

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develop your own recipe for vermouth... embellish your wine, cooking the alcohol out... refortify and sugar to 25 brix...

i use wormwood, gentian, and orris the root of the iris... for my bitter components. then i try to synthesize a fruit body that projects forward into the future while at the same time reflects back into the past in regards to seasonality... add some more botanical details... algebra and a refractometer gets your sugar perfect... grappa seals the deal and adds more homeopathic angles...

the monteray bay spice co is a great source for the hard to find peices. stock's "grappa julia" is an incredible product for making liqueurs. the roundness of the grape spirit unites aromatic elements which is why only grape spirits are used in perfumes...

[eje]

Here is the section regarding Punt e Mes from "Jones' Bar Guide".

Punt e Mes goes back to 1870 when a group of stock brokers would frequent the Carpano bar which was located next door to the Borsa (stock exchange). The gentlemen had the habit of ordering their vermouth with a touch of sweetener (vanilla) or on the bitter side (bitters).

One particular day when the stock market had fluctuated a little -- a point and a half -- the barman asked one of the brokers how he wanted his vermouth (usually with one or two drops of bitters). The broker replied, "Un punt e mes," which was Piedmontese dialect for "point and a half"  and hence the drink received its name. Today, when ordering Punt e Mes an individual merely has to raise his thumb (punt) and trace his hand in the air. to indicate "a half '' signifying that he wants to order the well known vermouth.

[bostonapothecary]

Here is the section regarding Punt e Mes from "Jones' Bar Guide".

Punt e Mes goes back to 1870 when a group of stock brokers would frequent the Carpano bar which was located next door to the Borsa (stock exchange). The gentlemen had the habit of ordering their vermouth with a touch of sweetener (vanilla) or on the bitter side (bitters).

One particular day when the stock market had fluctuated a little -- a point and a half -- the barman asked one of the brokers how he wanted his vermouth (usually with one or two drops of bitters). The broker replied, "Un punt e mes," which was Piedmontese dialect for "point and a half"   and hence the drink received its name. Today, when ordering Punt e Mes an individual merely has to raise his thumb (punt) and trace his hand in the air. to indicate "a half '' signifying that he wants to order the well known vermouth.

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so what kind of bitter was it?

[TAPrice]

Should Punt e mes have solids in it? I just picked up a bottle with a very faded label (the first time I've seen it here). I'm afraid it might have been baked.

[Chris Amirault]

I think not.

I didn't see a Marconi Wireless up there:

1 3/4 oz applejack

3/4 oz Punt e Mes

2 dashes orange bitters

[TAPrice]

I think not.

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Shoot. It must be baked. What a shame.

[Chris Amirault]

What's it taste like? If it's not a slightly chocolate-y, complex bitters, then you're out of luck.

[Chris Amirault]

New bottle tonight, so I'm making a Flatiron Slope:

2 1/2 oz rye (Rittenhouse)

3/4 oz Punt e Mes

1/4 oz Apry

Dash Angostura

[FrogPrincesse]

Ira Koplowitz's Six Corner Sling.

The drink has a lot of aroma; it's a little sweet but still well balanced. Compared to the Singapore Sling, the base of gin + brandy is replaced with rye. In the Singapore Sling the cherry liqueur and Benedictine give it a ton of flavor. It's interesting how you can get something with a similar vibe with this Punt e Mes/bitters/Chartreuse combo. It has a very tiki-esque feel to it. Another great spring drink.

Thanks again to KD1191 for the recipe.

I don't have the Bittercube orange bitters (which I read have a caramelized aroma), so I used Regan's and flamed the twist. My rye was Bulleit.

1.5 oz Old Overholdt Rye
.75 oz Punt e Mes
.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
.75 oz Simple Syrup
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Bittercube Orange Bitters

Pour 1/8 oz Green Chartreuse over an ice shard in a Collins glass. Shake the above with ice and strain into the prepared glass. Top with a small amount of soda water and garnish with a large swath of orange peel.

[Craig E]

Tried the Charlatan, a room-temperature cocktail which adds Campari, Cherry Heering, orange bitters and orange oils.

 

This had a tangy quality that lasted throughout from the fruity front to the bitter back. I liked the flavor quite a bit, but it had a lip-coating syrupiness that got no mitigation from the cold or dilution that ice would provide. 

 

I'd be curious to see if it could be lengthened into something worthwhile (a cherry-inflected Sbagliato or Americano).

 

[lesliec]

In my blinkered, Philistine way I'm always slightly dubious about room temp cocktails. They strike me as an abomination akin to iced coffee.

 

But that aside ... Craig, how would the above be as a base topped up with dry Prosecco (or Champagne, should the budget run to it)?

[Craig E]

11 hours ago, lesliec said:

But that aside ... Craig, how would the above be as a base topped up with dry Prosecco (or Champagne, should the budget run to it)?

 

That's exactly what I was imagining with my Sbagliato pondering. The next time I have a bottle open I'll try to remember to give it a try and report back.