Kup's Indispensable Cocktail

1 Dash Angostura Bitters, 1/8 Italian Vermouth, 1/4 French Vermouth, 5/8 Dry Gin. Stir well in ice and strain. Squeeze Orange Peel on top. Cousin to Journalist Cocktail. Powerful and complicated with a smooth transition between flavors.

Journalist Cocktail

2 Dashes Lemon Juice, 2 Dashes Curaçao, 1 Dash Angostura Bitters, 1/6 French Vermouth, 1/6 Italian Vermouth, 2/3 Dry Gin. Stir well in ice and strain. Powerful but complex, lots going on in sharp citrus of bitters and mellow citrus of vermouth. Thumbs up.

Imperial Cocktail

1/2 French Vermouth, 1/2 Gin, 1 Dash Angostura Bitters, 1 Dash Maraschino. Stir well with cracked ice, strain and serve with an Olive. Barely distinguishable from a dry martini but for whiff of maraschino.

Manhattan (Dry)

2/3 Whiskey, 1/3 Italian Vermouth, 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Stir well with cracked ice, strain and serve with an Olive and a twist of lemon peel on top. (Official Mixer's Manual p. 119)

Celeste made this with rye; I prefer it to bourbon for its lighter flavor.

We drank them and I thought about Gerry Rafferty who had just died. I was sad because I'd only recently acquainted myself with his album City to City and it had been steadily growing on me. The track Baker Street was a fixture of my childhood, ever-present as it was on local radio. So long Gerry; the world is diminished.