234

Boxes and Booze

Feb 24

234 Adonis sherry cocktail — 234 Cocktail

I’m toasting an intriguing cube puzzle which is made from individual pieces of increasing size. I liked the concept so much that I used it to create a cocktail for the toast, with volumes of ingredients in a 2:3:4 increasing ratio. Cocktail ratios are like blueprints, and while not all combinations will work, many do and it can be fun to find new mixtures that taste great. Some classic ratios include the 2:1:1 or 2:1:.5 found in a whiskey sour, margarita or daiquiri, or the 1:1:1 Negroni. A favorite mathematical cocktail ratio of mine can also be found in the “Fibonacci” cocktails invented by Paul MacDonald.

For the 234 cocktail I was inspired by a classic called the “Adonis”, which is a lovely cocktail featuring dry sherry and sweet vermouth. It was named for a Broadway burlesque show from 1884 (credited as the first ever Broadway musical) but we can appropriate it here as another example of a handsome Greek like this puzzle’s creator. Various ratios for the Adonis exist but a commonly used formula has the sherry at a 2:1 to the vermouth, and the drink often includes a dash of orange bitters. I tinkered with this formula and after a bit of experimentation with a third component added a smaller amount of amaro Cio Ciaro, which brings additional notes of herbs and bright bitter orange to the drink. It’s a combination that add up! Here’s to the complex beauty of keeping it simple. Cheers!