A "Bittersweet Farewell"

2 cocktails: 8 cl gin, 4 cl Lillet, 4 cl Crodino, 2 cl Amaretto, Angostura bitter (optional), orange twist, ice.

Have you been contemplating the year behind and the one ahead of us? What better way to do so than with a drink in your hand. It seems like a tumultuous year has passed with the farewell being bittersweet. And so is this cocktail.

In terms of flavour this brew follows the footsteps of concoctions described earlier on this blog, hinting at personal cocktail-taste and style (see the Winter Sunset or the Asagi Orange).

The drink draws its bitter notes from the wonderful Crodino, the dash of Angostura bitter (optional) and from the almond-based Amaretto. Its sweetness likewise comes from Crodino and Amaretto. This blend is the result of another long search leading to a stimulating mixture where Amaretto is noticeable but does not overpower other flavours. Gin provides the adult kick (yeah) while Lillet adds volume without interfering with the taste.

Be sure to remember that the orange twist is so much more than a pretty face on your drink. Squeezing the orange skin gently over your glass before serving releases its stimulating limonene fragrances which stay with the cocktail until its last drop has been sipped and you are hopelessly hooked. Be careful.

So, without much further ado: combine ingredients in a glass with ice and stir.

Zum Wohl, cheers, enjoy.