Campari Surprise - The Old Pal

This concoction seems far more suited to summer and ice (neither of which we have at the moment, more's the pity), but it turned out decently nonetheless. There were several variations, some of which I also mean to try and discuss in updates or comments, but this one does a good job of keeping the Campari's assertiveness while deepening it into something more interesting. The double recipe:

• 3 oz. rye whiskey
• 1-1/2 oz. Campari
• 1-1/2 oz. dry vermouth
• lemon twist

Pour the first three ingredients into an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Stir, then strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

(FYI, Mass Effect 2 is on the TV, and the recipe for this drink is on the netbook screen.)

Comfort Drinks: The Hot Tea Toddy

I've been home sick the past couple of days and relying heavily on the Holy Trinity of cold sufferers: ginger, lemon and honey. The first I've gotten via a large pot of chicken tinola, which I've been eating over the past day and a half with garlic steamed rice. The last two have come via tea and this nighttime version, a riff on the usual hot toddy.

• 6 oz. water
• 1 teabag (I used camomile, like Peter Rabbit's mom, then switched to Sleepytime when I ran out)
• 1 oz. whiskey or bourbon (Evan Williams was fine)
• honey (1-1/2 to 2 tsp. for me)
• lemon juice (2 or so tsp. for me)

Boil water. Pour into mug and add teabag. Steep teabag for a few minutes.

Add spirits, honey and lemon juice; correct seasonings if necessary.

NOTE: Tip of the hat to John, who broke his too-long silence by posting the recipe to these wonderful bread-and-butter pickles we - well, strictly he, as I was still at work during the process - made.

Benedictine Qui Venit: The Frisco

I've a taste for whiskey- and bourbon-based drinks, and I like trying new liqueurs, so this recipe (courtesy of Serious Eats) was an excuse to acquire a new bottle of straight Kentucky rye (the cheap and serviceable Old Overholt) and to purchase my first-ever bottle of Benedictine. After I got the proportions right (one taster referred to my first attempt as a "lemony snickett"), the resulting concoction was something like a tangier, less sweet hot toddy. Quite a bit more complex, thanks to the Benedictine, but more like a mood drink than a regular presence at the table. Perhaps some judicious jiggering with proportions will produce something even better. And now that I have most of a bottle of Benedictine, I can start experimenting with more drinks that feature it.

Recipe reproduced below, with my approximations:

• 2 oz. whiskey
• 3/4 oz. Benedictine (1 tbsp. and a bit)
  
• 3/4 oz. lemon juice (when lazy, which is pretty much always, I just call this the squeezings from 1/4 of a lemon)

If you're being all fancy, combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake for about 10 seconds, then pour into a chilled glass. Or you can just throw everything in and stir, the way the iceless needs must.