Cocktails on the roof: 1920 v.1.Italy

I’ve said it before, but its wonderful to have a cocktail guru who comes through from time to time with needed bits of wisdom. That would be my friend Mitch who recently mentioned how good a 1920 cocktail is.

The “1920” is a hook up between a Manhattan and a Sazerac and the recipe goes like this: 2 parts rye, 1 part sweet vermouth, absinthe rinse in the glass and a dash or so of orange bitters, stirred, never shaken.  Here in rye-challenged Italy, we make do with whiskey and Pernod for absinthe and Peychaud’s bitters because I forgot the Fee’s Brothers orange bitters in NY. So we had 1920’s v.1.Italy on the roof last night to celebrate the long days and a sun that sets around 9:30.

Mitch’s other guru moment this week was telling me about a new bar in Philly: the Franklin Mint Mortgage Insurance Co or some such bizarre name. Word has come back that it is awesome, so if you are in Philly, check it out. I hear from a most reliable source that the Carol Gardens is outstanding.

And for those of you working. on cocktail 101, the NY Times ran a fine article break ing down a lot of the cocktail lingo. Cin-Cin!