aquavit, Grand Marnier, Nonino Amaro, Fernet Branca

I found this recipe in The PDT Cocktail Book, it is also available online.

I’m using that new bottle of aquavit again, because I love it. I was flipping through this book and found this recipe and thought, wow, those are some weird-ass ingredients. Then I realized that I have all of those weird-ass ingredients in my bar!

As you can imagine, I have a substantial home bar by now. But I constantly run into recipes that call for obscure habanero-infused spirits or strawberry-ginger-lychee liqueurs or mermaid tears and bigfoot eyelashes…things NOBODY has in their bar, aside from the person who made up the recipe.

But here we go. A recipe with weird ingredients that I can actually find in my bar.

And it’s delicious! Something magical happens with the aquavit + Nonino Amaro. They kind of get married in the cocktail and become something very different than they were as individuals. It tastes totally unique. The Grand Marnier is just there as a bridesmaid, adding a little sweetness, and the Fernet is only a few drops (the glass is rinsed with it)…I suppose the Fernet would be the ring bearer. This is a beautiful wedding, umm, cocktail.