Boulevardier Cocktail

Quite simply, I was too drunk to blog this on Sunday when we drank it, so in a more sober light, let me tell you about this little lovely.  Equal quantities of Bourbon (Woodford Reserve in our case), Campari (of course!), and Rosso Vermouth (the mighty Carpano Antica) - stir on ice (don't shake as it will go cloudy), and pour into a martini glass.  Add a maraschino cherry and a lemon twist.  Totally.  Delicious.  But rather intoxicating.........we got the recipe from 'Dr Cocktail's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails', a treasure-trove of a book.

Perfect Manhattans

Is this the best cocktail in the world? In the Universe?  I think so.  It is simply the best drink ever - and yes, it doesn't even have Campari in it!  You need the best ingredients - Woodford Reserve bourbon (2 parts),  then 1/2 part each of Noilly Prat White Vermouth and Antica Formula Carpano Rosso Vermouth, with 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters, a lemon zest twist and a proper Maraschino cherry, stirred (not shaken!) over ice and served in a chilled Martini glass.  One has to be a perfectionist when it comes to perfection!  I was very happy drinking this with the Cheese Palmiers from an earlier entry - very happy indeed.  It helps that the Hubby is a pretty good barman.

Ozone Cocktail

Tonight's cocktail - now bear with me, because these sound a bit like a dog's dinner but were really very nice. For 1 person:

Take 3/4 of a measure of sweet sherry, 3/4 measure Bourbon, 1 measure of pineapple juice, 1/2 a measure of fresh lime juice, a teaspoon of Campari and a scant teaspoon (careful it is sweet) of Grenadine. Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker then pour into a straight glass filled with more broken ice. Enjoy! Trust me, it was very good!