It's Ash Wednesday, and today the guys behind the stick at Maurepas Foods will craft their latest cocktail list. To make room for new drinks, old favorites will fall away.
On the chopping block is the Plainview vs. Sunday, written by Carmine Potenza and named for the oil tycoon and his minister nemesis in "There Will Be Blood."
That's blood oranges to you; Carmine infuses Sazerac rye with them, and they're the seasonal reason this drink is slated to slip off the list. Carmine then pairs the juicy rye with dry Curaçao from Pierre Ferrand, a drier, more bitter and Cognac-blended orange liqueur developed in part by David Wondrich and based on a 19th-century recipe (something Daniel Plainview might have tried).
This retro Curaçao is intriguingly seasoned with grilled sugar and anise, the latter of which explains the third leg of Carmine's cocktail: our own Atelier Vie's red absinthe, which lends its deep ruby color and flowery hibiscus (as well as a creamy bloom) to the other spirits.
Unlike the movie's combative characters, Plainview vs. Sunday's spirits are harmonious and balanced, with threads of clean citrus and lush anise throughout.
On the cusp of Lent, let the guys at Maurepas Foods know that we don't want to give up this cocktail - at least until the blood orange whiskey runs dry.
Maurepas Foods, 3200 Burgundy, 267.0072. The bar team also includes Chief Intoxicologist Brad Smith and Tony DiMunno.
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