Just a few days ago, I wrote that there was still a sliver of summer left and still a bit of time to enjoy summer cocktails. But today I’m also going to start exploring some fall cocktails. Pretty soon it will be time to put away the drinks of summer – fizzy with soda water and ginger beer, light from rum or tequila, drenched in ice and fruit, that sort of thing – and break out the drinks of fall with their crisp herbal flavors, heavy with cider and apply brandy and rye, and maybe even some port and sherry. Here’s one own recipes, and one of my favorite fall drinks, a cocktail tribute to the flavors (and the mad philosophers) of continental Europe: the Continental School. – Andrew

Illustration by Shauna Lynn for Oh So Beautiful Paper

Combine the whiskey, vermouth, Benedictine and Chartreuse with lots of ice and stir well.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, add the bitters, and garnish with a lemon twist. Enjoy!

 

Sweet vermouth is, of course, a fortified wine flavored with all sorts of herbs and other botanicals. Chartreuse, as I’ve mentioned before, is an incredible blend of herbs made by French monks(!!) from a centuries-old secret recipe. Benedictine is, like Chartreuse, a French liqueur made from a secret blend of herbs and other botanicals, though its claims to the same antique heritage as Chartreuse are a little more circumspect. Which doesn’t mean it’s any less good, though. So in other words, the Continental School has a presence to be reckoned with. It’s a robust drink, boozy with a big, silky mouth feel. It’s rich and sweet and a bit spicy from all that herbal liqueur.

This isn’t a drink for everyone. Nole, whose tastes range much lighter and sweeter, would absolutely hate this one. And that’s ok, not everyone needs to love every drink.  But I know some of you will love this one, so try one before dinner… or to warm up on the next crisp fall night.