Several years ago, I was charged with coming up with a cocktail to go along with a showing of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. I rooted around in my head for a cocktial with some connection. I had almost drawn a blank when I remembered a great little cocktail by West Coast bartender Duggan McDonnell. It's called The Vertigo, which is of course the title of the other great Alfred Hitchcock/Jimmy Stewart film.
I've rejiggered the ingredients and presentation a bit to come up with a drink I call The Rear Window. It's a cool refresher. Fresh lemon juice is mixed with sugar to make a lemonade poured over crushed ice and then topped with a float of Averna, the excellent Italian Amaro. The bitter notes of the amaro is off-set by the sweetness of the sugar and the tartness of the lemon. It's just magic and unbelievably refreshing on a warm summer evening.
Don't use a straw. You drink it from the top, sipping the refreshing lemonade through the bitter amaro. As the amaro float sinks into the ice and the crushed ice melts and dilutes the cocktail, the flavor evolves. It's delicious and fun.
At our Cocktail Party this week, The Rear Window will be offered for a mere $8 and the most tasteful cocktail enthusiasts in NJ will be in attendance, as is their custom. Feel free to stay for dinner. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres will be passed Friday night only.