Recipe: Income Tax Cocktail

 
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” – Benjamin Franklin

I’d like to add a third, and that would be my perpetual need to file an extension. And I suppose that goes for this cocktail, too, given this is the third time I’ve tried to publish it in a timely fashion for April 15, and I’m playing beat the clock on having to extend another year.

This cocktail is what I would tend to call a semi-classic. It’s certainly old, having appeared sometime in the 1920s. It’s based (one would assume) on the Bronx, a classic cocktail from 1906. The difference is the addition of Angostura bitters, which add a touch of spice and dryness to what is already a bit of an unorthodox cocktail, in that it uses both vermouth and juice as modifiers.

The Income Tax Cocktail

1 1/2 oz. gin
3/4 oz. sweet vermouth (we used Dolin Rouge)
3/4 oz. dry vermouth (we used Dolin Dry)
3/4 oz. orange juice (fresh squeezed, if you can)
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Combine ingredients in a shaker tin.
Shake sharply with ice.
Double strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with an orange peel, or wheel.

While this won’t help you write the check to Uncle Sam, a few of them may help with your mood, afterward…