Bon Iver

Bon Iver (Good Winter)

I’ve had it in mind for a long time to pair my sentimental old traditional Japanese puzzle box with an old classic cocktail called the “Old Pal”. The Old Pal traces its origins to 1927 and the friendship between Paris based sportswriter William “Sparrow” Robinson and Harry McElhone, the famed proprietor at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris. Robinson liked to call every “My Old Pal”. He loved the combination of rye, dry vermouth and Campari that Harry would fix for him, and the drink became legend. Like a Negroni, with whiskey rather than gin, the Old Pal is also a great drink to modify by simply varying the ingredients from the same family of spirits. Instead of whiskey, for example, we could use apple brandy, a wonderful spirit this time of year.

Apple, cedar and sapele make this the perfect fireside sipper

To toast the Stickman Traditional Box I thought it would be nice to take this idea and make it a bit more special. It seemed in keeping with the unique nature of the box, which takes its starting origins and adds a whole lot more. It’s also nice to be toasting Rob with what is essentially a fancy Old Pal. For this version, which is a perfect fall and winter drink, as mentioned I substituted the whiskey for apple brandy from Laird’s, America’s oldest continuously operated distillery. They provided the “spirit” ration to George Washington’s troops in the American Revolution. Instead of regular vermouth, I used the delicious aromatized Italian wine called Barolo Chinato, which is similar to vermouth but full of rich and intense flavors of bitter orange and cinnamon spice. Finally rather than Campari I used Meletti, another bitter Italian aperitivo which features orange and saffron notes.

Tying all these flavors together, I added a few dashes of charred cedar bitters, which evoke a wintry scene of forest and fireside, and lastly a few dashes of Rob’s own homemade Stickman Sapele Bitters. These last are an amazing tincture made from actual sapele wood, which he uses often in his puzzle boxes. He discovered the flavor quite by accident, when wood chips fell into his beer one day. The taste is mellow and sweet, very different from an oak flavor one might expect from barrel aged wine or bourbon. The sapele adds one more incredible layer to this delicious drink which has made it a favorite I’ll be enjoying over and again this season. I agree that this may not be the most accessible list of ingredients for most people, but I argue that neither is a Stickman Box often found on many a shelf. Here’s to good pals, old and new. Cheers!

These old pals are quite special

Bon Iver

1 oz apple brandy

1 oz Meletti

1 oz Barolo Chinato

3 dashes charred cedar bitters

3 dashes sapele bitters

 Stir with ice and strain into a favorite glass.  Orange twist garnish and sapele stirring stave.