Cocktail Note: Little Five Points

Drinking with a friend at one of my favorite---okay, my favorite---watering holes in Portland, Clyde Common, where the bartenders keep a well-stocked bar and know what to do with it. http://www.clydecommon.com

These guys are on my wavelength, and they always mix up a topnotch cocktail. They have a good feel for whipping up drinks with character and style, and usually without too much frou-frou---this is not where you want to go for your Chocolate Fudge Martini Drop with multi-colored sugar icing.

So on this night, I yielded to Andrew's blandishments and went for the Little Five Points.

Little Five Points:
Bulleit bourbon, peach brandy, sweet vermouth, allspice dram, Angostura bitters, lemon peel

Pretty good. Nice and warming, without being sticky about it. I would have backed off on the sweetness just a tiny bit, and added a touch more bitters to balance out the heavy spices, but all in all it was a delicious concoction. Maybe Carpano Antico instead of sweet vermouth?

And one of the pleasures of a fine bar is to watch the people at work behind the stick. They do a combination of dancing and acrobatics, and they do it gracefully in a very small space. It's great entertainment, and comes inclusive with the drink.

Hoke,

Been on a bit of a cocktail splurge myself. Favourite drink of the moment is one called Last Ward. Chatreuse based cocktail and when made right (with the right ice and good shaking), it is very nice. It's probably my favourite prohibition era Cocktail.

Last Word

3/4 ounce gin
3/4 ounce lime juice
3/4 ounce green Chartreuse
3/4 ounce maraschino liqueur

Shake well with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Hoke,

Been on a bit of a cocktail splurge myself. Favourite drink of the moment is one called Last Ward. Chatreuse based cocktail and when made right (with the right ice and good shaking), it is very nice. It's probably my favourite prohibition era Cocktail.

Last Word

3/4 ounce gin
3/4 ounce lime juice
3/4 ounce green Chartreuse
3/4 ounce maraschino liqueur

Shake well with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Michael, I have been ingesting a few of those myself...it's also currently one of my favorites!

What with the explosion of locally made artisanal small batch gins around here---this place is burgeoning with local distillers---we have lots of flavorful gins to use for diversity. And one of the big ones, which is also seeing some play outside the region, is Aviation Gin. Makes a great Last Word.

Do you use Luxardo Maraschino?