Home Sweet Home

Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home – John Howard Payne

I'm Home by Kyoko Hoshino

Originally from the 1823 opera Clari (The Maid of Milan) by John Howard Payne, the song “Home, Sweet Home” was also adapted for popular release and became an instant hit. The ubiquitous expression used to evoke that warm and welcoming sentiment we feel when we are “home” came from this song. The melody was adopted in many more operas in the 1800’s and eventually found its way into movies as well, including The Wizard of OZ, where it can be heard behind Dorothy’s plaintive assertions that “There’s no place like home!”

Something puzzling going on here ...

Japanese Karakuri Group artist Kyoko Hoshino must know the old tune as well, or at least the expression. It’s popular there too, where it is known as “Hanyu no Yado”, or “My Humble Cottage”. She created her “I’m Home” to represent the sentiment of returning home after a busy day. She opens the door, goes inside, and can relax. Her adorable house is made from American black cherry, shiuri cherry, katsura, and purple heart woods. It’s a modest house, with a simple front door and a sturdy chimney. Opening the door won’t gain you access inside, though - it’s not so simple after all. Hoshino’s works are often charmingly straightforward and it's usually not difficult to deduce how to open them. I’m Home has a few more tricks than usual, but you should be cozying up to the fire soon enough. It’s another lovely work from this sentimental artist.

Home for the Holidays

I’ve paired it with a sentimental toast of my own, a drink I’ve named “Home for the Holidays”. Of course the drink is another variation on the classic Negroni, a three part cocktail with gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari. It’s the ultimate comfort cocktail, once you’ve acquired a taste for it. Variations on the formula are easy enough, by simply substituting any or all of the three components within their class of spirit. For example, apple brandy is a nice change in the winter months, and adds a delicious flavor as the base spirit. We’ll use it in place of the gin here. Campari is one of the most easily recognized Italian Amari, the bitter liquors enjoyed as appetite stimulants (aperitifs) and digestive aids (digestifs). There are literally hundreds of Amaris, from different regions, with different profiles.

A warm and toasty winter treat

Here I am using something rather unusual, for Americans at any rate – it’s been in the Trentino region of Italy for over a century. A rabarbaro is a class of amaro which uses Chinese rhubarb root, which imparts a deep earthy smokiness without any actual smoke. It brings the warmth of the toasty fireside into the drink. Finally the vermouth here is a Barolo Chinato, a rich and potent fortified wine from the Piedmont region of Italy. The name refers to the cinchona bark which imparts quinine flavors, like tonic. Rounding things out are a few dashes of cardamom and cranberry bitters. The result is a warm and wonderful winter experience I’d love to share with you at my own home. Cheers!

Welcome Home!

Home for the Holidays

1 oz Laird’s apple brandy

1 oz Capeletti Sfumato Rubarbaro

1 oz Borolo Chinato

2 dashes Bittermen’s spiced cranberry bitters

1 dash Scrappy’s cardamom bitters

Expressed orange twist

Stir, strain, sip and sigh

For more from this artist see: