Trident

Probably one of my most successful cocktails has been the Trident. I originally created this drink when I was working with Fee Brothers Peach Bitters. There were very few recipes which specifically called for it, and I felt that there was plenty of room therefore for a few more. I had recently found that switching in aquavit for the gin in a Negroni produced great results, and thought I'd take this a little further. Since I have a facination for slightly obscure ingredients, I decided to try a Negroni variation in which each ingredient was something you might not typically find in ordinary bars. After a few experiments, the Trident was the result. The name comes from notion that each of the three main ingredients come from three different sea-faring countries. Here in Seattle, the Zig Zag Cafe has had this on their cocktail menu for quite a while, apparently it is the reason they go through more Cynar than all the other bars in Washington State combined. It has also made it onto the menus of many of the better bars around the US as well as the world.

Trident

1 ounce dry sherry
1 ounce Cynar
1 ounce aquavit
1 dash peach bitters
1 dash orange bitters

Garnish: Lemon twist

Stir with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Source: Robert Hess (~2000)

For the sherry in this drink, we prefer using a good amontillado. And while originally this recipe didn't call for orange bitters, I've updated the recipe to also include orange bitters. For this I recommend a mixture of half Fee's orange bitters and half Regan's Orange Bitters #6