A search on CocktailDB yields 28 results. The easiest entry point for the uninitiated is the Fanciulli (sometimes Franciulli) cocktail. Essentially a Manhattan with Fernet in place of the Angostura bitters, I find myself making this more often than the traditional Manhattan. (My Fanciulli recipe is 2oz rye, 1oz sweet vermouth, 1/4oz Fernet.)

Looking through the rest of CocktailDB’s Fernet cocktail listings, I notice that many of them consist of spirit, sweet vermouth and Fernet. As Fernet is a bit of a bully, I sought to find an spirit that could stand up to it. The answer is unaged white whiskey, aka white dog. With it’s bold flavor, the white dog isn’t overwhelmed and definitely holds its own.

Dog Will Hunt
1.5 oz white dog (House Spirits)
.5 oz Fernet-Branca
.5 oz sweet vermouth (Martini & Rossi)
1 bar spoon 2:1 rich Demerara syrup
Stir with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with orange peel. 

I should note that the white dog I used is 100 proof. If you use a lower proof whiskey, like Woodinville Headlong or Death’s Door, increase to 2oz. Also white dogs vary widely in flavor, perhaps more so than aged whiskeys which are mellowed by the wood. The House Spirits white dog is 100% barley, thus it’s flavor is unique among unaged whiskeys.

Star Cocktail
1.5 oz applejack (Laird’s)
1.5 oz sweet vermouth (Martini & Rossi)
1.5 dashes each Angostura & Peychaud’s bitters
Stir with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with lemon peel. 

You’re probably thinking, “How do I get 1.5 dashes of bitters?” You make two cocktails at once and double all of the quantities. The original recipe calls for 3 dashes of Angostura or Peychaud’s, but I see no reason not to use both; the spices in the bitters add to that fireside feeling. I’ve also tried this with Laird’s bonded apple brandy and syrup and found it lacking. Somehow the applejack with its neutral spirits makes this drink better.

However you decide to make it, or whatever you are having, happy holidays to you and yours.

The whiskey variation is almost a cross between a Manhattan and a Sazerac. Actually, the most similar thing I could find at CocktailDB was the Satan Cocktail. Garble those three names together enough and you kind of get the…

Rattan Cocktail
2oz rye (Bulleit)
1oz Cocchi Americano
dash Angostura bitters
dash Peychaud’s bitters
absinthe or pastis (Legendre Herbsaint)
Stir rye, Cocchi and bitters with ice, strain into a chilled, absinthe/pastis rinsed cocktail glass and garnish with lemon peel.

Switching the rye for gin, the Angostura for orange bitters and the lemon peel for orange peel gets you the…

Last Gasp
2oz London dry gin (Beefeater)
1oz Cocchi Americano
dash Regan’s #6 orange bitters
dash Peychaud’s bitters
absinthe or pastis (Legendre Herbsaint)
Stir gin, Cocchi and bitters with ice, strain into a chilled, absinthe/pastis rinsed cocktail glass and garnish with orange peel.

To find out why this one is so named, inhale sharply through your mouth after swallowing a sip.

I’d been toying with a cocktail that was somewhere between the El Presidente and a Sazerac. It wasn’t coming out right. The Missus and I concluded that the problem was that we were using a relatively weak 80-proof rye. Say hello to Bulleit rye and quit yer cryin’.

No More Tears
1.5 oz rye (Bulleit)
.75 oz dry vermouth (Martini & Rossi)
.25 oz triple sec (Royal Combier)
.5 tsp absinthe or pastis (Legendre Herbsaint)
Stir with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with orange peel. 

The combination of the pastis and dry vermouth make this is a very dry cocktail.

When approaching the creation of a Heering cocktail, I decided first that my base spirit would be gin. Originally, I used what we call around here the Boudreau ratio. While the results were pleasing, I found it didn’t quite fill my cocktail glasses and coupes quite enough.  I also tried Punt e Mes as the vermouth component. Creating the drink in July, this proved a bit too wintry. (Remind me to try it again in 6 months.) I thought dry vermouth, but I didn’t want a cherry flavored martini. My solution was to go the perfect route, which in cocktails is equal parts sweet and dry vermouth. Hence:

Perfect Hearing
2 oz London dry gin (Bombay Dry)
½ oz sweet vermouth (Martini & Rossi Rosso)
½ oz dry vermouth (Martini & Rossi Extra Dry)
2 teaspoons Cherry Heering
Stir with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with orange peel. 

Requiem for a Gleet
1.5oz rye
.75oz Cocchi Americano
.25oz Bénédictine
1 dash Regan’s orange bitters
Stir with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a brandied or maraschino cherry.

A little of the cherry juice wouldn’t hurt either for that extra gross effect, though it might make things a bit sweeter. Wait, why am I making this so repulsive?

Amigo, Amico, Ami
1.5oz blanco tequila (El Jimador)
1oz Aperol
.75oz Dolin Blanc vermouth
Stir with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with an orange twist.

Peridot
1.5oz London dry gin (Bombay)
.5oz Cocchi Americano
.25oz green Chartreuse
1 dash Regan’s orange bitters
Stir with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Peridot is my birthstone, which I hate. But I really enjoy this cocktail.

The Ambulator
1.5oz rye (Rittenhouse)
1oz Aperol
.5oz Punt e Mes
.5oz sweet vermouth (Martini & Rossi)
Stir with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

When my wife and I went to Beaker & Flask a couple weeks ago, I bypassed the whiskey cocktails. (I knew my wife would order one or two, so I still got to taste them.) I opted for something with a tequila base, followed by something with a mezcal base. The latter drink —a Bartender’s Choice of the bitter, brown and stirred variety— was a delightful mix of mezcal, Averna and Imbue vermouth.

Wanting to make it at home, but lacking both mezcal and Imbue, I grabbed the tequila, swapped dry vermouths, and swapped the digestivo for an apertivo to instead make a variation on an old favorite, the Old Pal.

Yes, I VacuVin my vermouth, don't you?

Amigo Viejo
1½oz blanco tequila (El Jimador)
¾oz dry vermouth (Noilly Prat)
¾oz Aperol
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass. Stir with ice until very cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of orange peel.

Bitter and stirred, not brown, which is fine with me as I’m trying new things. In case you were wondering, my other resolution this year is to eat more fish. But tht’s for a different blog. One I don’t write.