1 1/2 oz rye whiskey

1/2 oz sweet vermouth

1/2 oz averna

1/2 oz orange juice

2 dashes orange bitters

combine over ice and stir.  strain into a chilled martini shell.  orange zest garnish.

this has become my go-to when someone asks me (as often they do) for something like a manhattan, but different.  it’s about halfway between a bronx and a brooklyn (or my recollection of same, which may or may not be fuzzy), with averna standing in for the amer picon, which is no longer available in washington (and maybe the us).  it’s a nice compromise, at any rate, round where a manhattan is spiky, but with enough extra character, thanks to the averna, to keep things interesting.