How about a New Friend? My friend gave me this cocktail book that I use ALL.THE.TIME. It is called Potation Handbook by Steve Carrow. It was printed locally by Rohner Letterpress and I was lucky enough to have a friend in the PR world who was able to score one of these SWEET limited edition books from one of the best bartenders in town. He is rumored to make the best Sazerac in Chicago, which is funny because there are not a ton of bartenders around these parts that have truly mastered the art. I would know, I LOVE a good Sazerac.

Anyhoo, I had a particularly rough day yesterday and I thought, “I know I need a drink, but why not try a fancy drink from my trusty book?” Thus, I settled on a drink called “new friend” mainly because I had all of the ingredients already (there are 3) and it seemed to pack a punch; the name didn’t hurt either. It was actually much more pleasant than I anticipated. It was sweet with a kick, but not too sugary. Just what I needed, in fact.

Heres the recipe:

1 1/2 oz bourbon

3/4 oz Aperol

3/4 oz Lillet Blanc

You have to STIR it in a glass and then strain it into a coupe glass (as shown) or a martini glass. Dont shake it or it will get too watered down. The result is a perfect “new friend” you can hang out with at the end of a hard day.

Here are some photos of the sparks flying as we are getting to know each other:

Oh happy day!

Coup glasses: Anthopologie, Coasters: One Kings Lane, Stirrers: Pottery Barn