Fernet February: "The Denny Triangle" from Jamie Boudreau at Canon

Today's drinks come from one of the bigger names in bartending and "mixology," Mr. Jamie Boudreau. Who is Jamie? Well, I'll let him do the talking himself here on his blog.
His online show Raising The Bar is a great resource for creative cocktails and learning some new and fancy things outside of the norm, his blog has been filling up my journal with delicious new libations to test out, and he's dedicated a newer blog only to cocktails involving St. Germain. These are all great resources for experimenting at home, but also good resources for trying and learning new things on the job if you're a professional.

One thing that is obvious from reading his blogs and recipes is how much he loves his bitters (he even makes and sells his own cherry bitters), and this includes amari. Some of his wild and crazy creations include the Zim Zala Bim, which uses a 1/4oz of orange bitters, and the Aromatic Collins, which uses a full ounce of aromatic bitters. Lots of others use amari, and his site even has a recipe for creating your own amaro at home in an attempt to recreate the taste of the ever-elusive Amer Picon.

Jamie currently runs the bar at Canon in Seattle, a new but renowned establishment with a ridiculous selection of booze and bitters (check this out), which is also apparently the new home to Murray "The Blur" Stenson.
Anyway, on to the drinking...

The one I wanted to share today I found on Raising The Bar, and it's one I often enjoy at home when I'm thirsty and have grapefruits around (and hopefully it's after noon). Gin holds a solid base underneath a lot of juice, and a lot of sweetness from the Benedictine, so Fernet comes out as subtle as I feel it should be in a drink.
When I emailed Jamie and asked for his permission to share this cocktail on this blog, he sent me another recipe for something that looks ridiculous at a glance. I actually mixed one as soon as I was finished the email because I was so curious. Look at the recipe below, you'll see what I mean...

First, here is
Denny Triangle Cocktail

2oz Beefeater gin
3/4oz Benedictine
1/4oz Fernet Branca
2oz grapefruit juice
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

You can see Jamie make the drink himself here on Raising The Bar.

And here is the the little present he gave me... a seriously interesting and complex bunch of flavours, and while the Fernet is super forward here, it's actually not as overpowering as I thought it would be...


Miseria Cocktail

1 part Carpano Antica
1 part Fernet Branca
3 dashes orange bitters
Stir with ice, serve into a chilled rocks glass, garnish with flamed orange zest

Thanks for the recipes, Jamie!

[[ see the Fernet February introduction here ]]
[[ see the "Gastown Swizzle" from L'Abattoir here ]]

[[ see the "Chinatown Sour" from The Keefer here ]]
[[ see "Pandemonium" from Veneto Tapa Lounge here ]]
[[ see "The Bittercup" from Pourhouse here ]]
[[ see "The Vested Bartender" from Boneta here ]]
[[ see "The Parliament" from The Diamond here ]]
[[ see "Parliament Hill" from The Hideout here ]]
[[ see "The Lucky Lady" from The Refinery here ]]


Jamie's photo by Antoinette Bruno, ICC Food Porn Gallery