Cynar Negroni

1 oz. London dry gin

1 oz. sweet vermouth

1 oz. Cynar

Orange twist

Directions: Combine all the ingredients except the orange twist in a rocks glass and stir until chilled. Express orange twist over the drink and drop it in the glass.

Yum. This book and the aperitif one are great, truly. Love every drink I’ve had. But they are most so of their time, they make me think about how incredibly contextual old books much be as well, we just can’t parse the context. They both are emblematic of the Bon Appetit Brooklyn Foodie But Also Cool Fun Person era of American culture. Some of these drinks ask you to buy very specific spirit brands, and many drinks come with little stories of some other famous New York bartender that came up with this or that particular drink variation. These two books try to sell you a lifestyle brand along with the cocktail, promising a setting to accompany your cocktail. I don’t really mind this, I’m not altogether jaded about this cultural moment, but it is truly fascinating to me when I realize that enough cultural touchstone have moved on that something has become dated.