In Greek mythology, Adonis was the perfect image of a man - young, virile, and with enough life to satisfy two goddesses. He split his time between Aphrodite in the spring and summer, and Persephone in the Winter. Jealous Ares sent a boar for him (hard to imagine a more stereotypical masculine way to go, so it’s sort of fitting for Adonis), ending in his death and rebirth as an anemone flower - changing with the seasons.

Climate change has meant the West Virginia I returned to in 2022 is very different from the West Virginia of my youth. There is a LOT less seasonality here than when I was in my Adonis phase. Unheard of in my youth, it was 60°F this week in January. Snows come later in the year, there is more rain and cloud cover, and fewer chilling hours than many of the middle/northern Appalachian trees and plants need for a proper seasonal cycle.

As the world changes, so must our cocktails. This past September, I detailed the Adonis cocktail over at my personal webpage. Nice One is a Dan Greenbaum (from defunct Diamond Reef bar in Brooklyn) evolution of the Adonis. It adds Banana liqueur to the traditional specification, brightening the drink and one’s outlook. It is also a lower-ABV cocktail during a time of year when many are recovering from holiday festivities and looking to consume less alcohol in preparation for spring’s blossoming of fun.

I am not a dry January guy myself, but in general, there are three ways to lower your blood alcohol in January: abstain, consume normal drinks less often, or craft drinks that are lower ABV by nature. Nice One and its parent Adonis are in this latter category. This middle ground of drinks works well because they are originally crafted with less alcohol in mind and don’t break the bank on drinking less if you slip an extra day of drinking into your dry January. 

In addition, the vermouth-sherry combinations for this drink (and Adonis) are nearly endless, allowing extensive customization of the cocktail. Time to tip one.

This is a stirred drink. Chill your glass thoroughly. Then, load a mixing glass with your ingredients sans garnish. Add ice and stir until frigid. Express the orange peel over the drink and garnish. Enjoy.

Glass: Coupe or Nick and Nora

I don’t know the background on Dan naming this Nice One. Seems to me that the character of the drink and it’s innumerable possibilities across the types of sherry and vermouth (or in fact the liqueur) lends itself to Anemone - to capture the spirit of change and evolution. As for flavor, you’ll taste a deep, roasted nuttiness from the sherry, a subtly sweet, botanical and spice backbone from the vermouth, and a hint of tropical brightness and frivolity from the liqueur. Its reminiscent of flambéed bananas with nuts. 

Options: First, the Sherry - choosing a dry (Fino), salty (Manzanilla), nutty (Amontillado), oxidized (Oloroso), or sweet (e.g., Pedro Ximenez) sherry will change the entire character of the drink. Manzanilla, which has a sea-spray quality not unlike Island Scotches, is really nice because it lends a distinctive quality to drinks while also enhancing other flavors with a sense of salinity. If you can lay hands on a Manzanilla, drop the saline in the recipe. Also, be aware that Manzanilla is a Fino sherry, so the drink will be drier.

Dan’s original did not specify the Chocolate Bitters, but they work really well with the nuttiness of the Amontillado Sherry and the Banana Liqueur. Caution is needed, however, as they might clash with the vermouth depending on your choice. If you keep them in your recipe, a sweeter vermouth with some vanilla might be the better choice. I don’t see chocolate and quinine having a great affinity for one another, but maybe I’ll try one day. 

There are a bewildering number of sweet vermouths one might use for this drink. To my mind, French sweet vermouth (i.e., rouge) is drier than Italian vermouth. Something like Dolin Rouge is much drier than the Italian Carpano Antica, which also has pronounced vanilla flavor notes. Splitting the difference, again to my tastes, is Cocchi di Torino, which is on the richer side of the scale as well. All of these will yield different flavor notes and shift the balance of sweet to dry in the drink.

I’ve added chocolate bitters, because chocolate and banana are a match made in the most hedonistic corners of hell. But, molasses bitters would be great here and really play into that flambéed banana and tropical character. 

Finally, a really different take on the drink might use Lillet Rouge, which gives you more dark, rich fruit and some quinine - especially nice if you’re a gin and tonic enthusiast. Banana liqueurs are harder (they are bi-model - lots of good and bad ones). If you steer away from Giffard’s Banane du Bresil, I’d look for Tempest Fugit’s Creme de Banane.