Seven Dials Shank
Wash with absinthe
1.5 Rittenhouse Rye
1/2 Zucca
1/2 Nardini Amaro
1/2 Campari
1/2 Strega
1 bar spoon Laphroaig
2 dashes orange bitters
2 dashes Jerry Thomas’ (clove) bitters
1 kumquat; halved, squeezed, skewered
Rocks or up. Either way, stir.
…this is a further refinement of the Six-inch Gold Blade – gentler, more aromatic, more controlled. It’s pleasingly smokey without being an Arbroath firebox. The herbal and anise notes are below the overall whiskiness. Frankly more restrained than the name suggests.
#illadvisedcocktails
Tattered Remains of Tartary 
C’mon man, swap out the Rittenhouse for some LS Navy Style. 😉 More seriously, I’m interested in what the Nardini does for the drink, as I’ve never had any. It’s somewhat minty, right?
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yes but not really in this context. Honestly all the Nardini is doing here, I think, is offering more bitter. It might be better with Zucca and no Nardini, in fact. Stripping ingredients out would be the next step.
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Zucca is pretty sweet; dunno about Nardini. Maybe some fernet?
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Zucca is less sweet than Nardini. And I find the result to be pretty nicely balanced here… it would be interesting to try Fernet.
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turning the Laphroaig down to a teaspoon lets everything else shine – to the point where, having taken out the Nardini, I was glad to add it back. With Nardini it’s richer, fuller, rounder. Like the difference between a Manhattan and a 1794.
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Adam Thornton here finally, the Seven Dials Shank
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