Black Christmas
2 oz. Elijah Craig Small Batch1/2 oz. Averna
2-3 dashes Dale DeGroff’s Pimento Aromatic Bitters
Lucid Absinthe Wash
Stir first 3 ingredients with ice and strain into an Absinthe washed coup glass.
The Black Christmas is a drink 2 steps from a Manhattan named after the classic holiday slasher film of the same name that has 2 highly unnecessary remakes. Luckily, this remake is quite tasty and fills me with bloody holiday joy.
I made this Manhattan variation for the family Christmas gathering this year and I’ll end the year with one for myself. What started as a Black Manhattan was made Chistmassy with the use of Pimento Bitters with their Allspice goodness, and in the case of these from Dale DeGroff, quite Clovey as well. I originally made this with a Rye to keep it more Manhattany but I decided to make this one with a newly gifted Bourbon. I actually prefer this as the spices from the bitters and the absinthe flavors are enhanced by the Bourbon’s sweetness instead of in competition with the Rye’s own spice.
I’m not going to reflect much on the year here other than to say that I lost all of my alcohol tolerance and much of my palate due to health issues this year, but I’m pretty much on the mend. I miss making drinks and hosting themed movie and booze nights here. The bar has a serious level of dust on it but the aroma of this drink makes me want to get back into it. Green Jenkin’s Walk In Closet Bar is coming back in 2020.
