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Work’s stressful these days. Liquor helps. Specifically, pretentious antique liquor.

I picked up a vintage cocktail book last year and have steadily been drinking my way through it. Highly recommended.

Current favorites include:

The Calvados Cocktail

• two parts calvados
• two parts orange juice
• one part cointreau
• one part orange bitters

This is especially for special friend peterb, and is less sweet than you’d think due to the huge pile of orange bitters. Nice and tangy and orangey.

Satan’s Whiskers

• 1/2oz gin
• 1/2oz dry vermouth
• 1/2oz sweet vermouth
• 1/2oz orange juice
• 2tsp orange curaçao or grand marnier
• 1tsp orange bitters

A little sweet, but nice and complex from the bitters and vermouth. For reasons not entirely clear to me, it’s “curled” if made with Curaçao and “straight” if made with Grand Marnier. I think I like it better with Grand Marnier.

The Communist

• 1oz gin
• 1oz orange juice
• 1/2oz cherry brandy
• 3/4oz lemon juice

Surprisingly tart and refreshing from all the lemon juice – this would be wonderful out on the porch in the summer. I think the original recipe assumed a sweet liqueur-ish cherry brandy, but what I had was kirschwasser and it worked fine.

Note: You may be thinking “Those all sound great, Nat, but where the hell am I going to get orange bitters?”. If so, order them here. While you’re at it, pick up a bottle of their pomegranate grenadine and one of their key lime juice, either of which is miles ahead of the usual Rose’s stuff.