BY ENZO ERRICO
Woodsy, bitter, caramel
This is a sensational after-dinner drink to serve with dark chocolate, especially pot de crème or Black Forest cake.
It is hard to remember a time when bartenders weren’t making all sorts of riffs on classics and calling them new names. But there was. And toward the beginning of that phase, this combination by Milk & Honey bartender Enzo Errico reverberated through cocktailland and inspired new possibilities. A take on the Manhattan, and named after a Brooklyn neighborhood, this mix stands as one of the most influential drinks of the Craft Cocktail Movement. The bitterness of the Punt e Mes is masterfully balanced by the sweetness of the maraschino—although some bartenders drop the maraschino down to ¼ ounce for less pronounced cherry pit flavor.
2 ounces (60 ml) rye whiskey (Old Overholt)
½ ounce (15 ml) Punt e Mes
½ ounce (15 ml) maraschino liqueur (Luxardo)
Cherry, for garnish
Stir with ice and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a cherry on the end of a cocktail pick.
FARM-TO-GLASS COCKTAILS
Farmers’ market produce and window box herbs make for eye-popping cocktails. We often shop our local markets for seasonal ingredients to get inspired. A sprig of lavender or a little rosemary provides aroma and color. A tuft of mint transforms a muddy, brown drink into a handsome sipper. You can also steep herbs in simple syrup (page 241), if you want to experiment further with integrating flavors.
For a quick way to incorporate fresh herbs into a cocktail, you can spank a leaf to release its oils (see technique, page 264) and then set it on top of a drink. Floating a sage leaf on top of a grapefruit-based drink, like the Paloma (page 153), is one of our favorite tricks.
The following drinks are especially lovely because they incorporate fresh ingredients, including stone fruit and berries, and plenty of spriggy garnish.