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

The Petruchio Cocktail

So here's a great modern cocktail utilizing two interesting ingredients that maybe you haven't tried yet - egg white and Aperol. This is courtesy of Jamie Boudreau, one of the great modern mixologists - or as he puts it, molecular mixologists. He is an award-winning bartender with his own line of bitters, a great blog here, an ambassador of the most delicious liqueur known to man - St. Germain - here, and has an inspiring and very informative show on the Small Screen Network called Raising the Bar. He currently runs the bar at Canon in Seattle, and has definitely come up with some of the more interesting new cocktails I've ever tasted.
(Let it also be noted that I am pasting his photography of his own cocktail here because it's better than any shot I could take).

Egg white is a very old and classic cocktail ingredient, and one that sadly became forgotten or shunned by both bartenders and drinkers over the years. There are some very tasty and old cocktails, such as the Clover Club, that call for it, and even some very well-known ones such as the Whiskey Sour, which in modern times has left the ingredient out. The use of eggs in general actually predates the cocktail age in some cases, and were used for texture. Fizzes, sours, nogs, and flips are just a few examples of the diverse cocktail styles that use eggs.
No, you won't get sick from having an egg white in your cocktail. The chances nowadays of getting sick from a raw egg are about 1 in 10,000, and keep in mind you're mixing it with alcohol (which kills microorganisms) and in a lot of cases with citric acid (from lemon or lime juice). Be sure to get your eggs from good sources, which is something you should always be doing anyway.
If you're still feeling adverse to the idea, I can tell you plainly that you will be missing out on some fabulous drinks. Also, I bet you could be served some drinks that you will truly enjoy without even realizing they contain eggs at all. Just try it!

Aperol is an Italian amaro, or bitter liqueur, with a bright orange colour and mostly orange flavour, but also with rhubard, gentian, and cinchona notes as well. It was originally created in 1919, but didn't see much popularity until years later, and nowadays in a new age of mixology is seeing a real resurgence. Often nicknamed "Campari's younger brother," it has a similar taste and purpose, but is much sweeter and less bitter.

So, for the drink...
First of all, you can see Jamie make it himself on his show here.
Secondly, I should mention that the type of gin will really change the flavour profile here. Making it with Beefeater 24 as Jamie intends (at least according to the Small Screen Network presentation, which could be sponsored by the product) really brings out the citrus, and makes a soft, smooth cocktail.
I had the lovely pleasure of making this with Martin Miller's gin last week with my own personal bottle I acquired for half the Canadian price in Seattle. It made a very different drink, with vegetal and herbal flavours coming to the fore and ultimately making what I feel is a much more interesting drink.

The Petruchio
(aptly named after a character in Taming of the Shrew, by the way, which is based in Padua - the birthplace of Aperol)
1 oz gin (Martin Miller's recommended)
1 oz Aperol
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/4 oz rich simple syrup (2:1 sugar to water, or use 1/2 oz of 1:1 simple syrup)
1 dash orange bitters (Fee's preferred)
1 egg white

Shake all ingredients in a shaker withOUT ice first to emulsify the egg white, then add ice and shake all ingredients again. Strain into a cocktail glass. 
Another way to emulsify the egg, courtesy of Jamie again, is to use a battery operated frappe device, like the ones you use to make a latte at home without a steamer. This is very modern, and I like sticking with the old-fashioned, classic ideas in general, so I prefer shaking.

A final note is about purchasing ingredients.
Aperol is available in the BC government liquor stores for $22 (I went through mine in about 6 months, so that's cheap), orange bitters can be picked up at the Gourmet Warehouse on Hastings St., and the only place I've seen Martin Miller's in Vancouver so far is at the Brewery Creek liquor store on Main St. It runs about $50, so is a real treat, but as I've mentioned in previous posts you can get it in Seattle for $28, or maybe even in the duty free shop.

Salute!