For Absent Friends, and Bottles

Readers who have been reading may recall that I moved recently. The town I now live in is not a complete cultural desert, but is a bit - dry. When I left the San Francisco Bay, I left my liquor cabinet with friends. I miss them, and also those bottles. You can barely get a bottle of absinthe here, nonetheless maraschino liqueur.

So, my friends, if you have some cognac or brandy around, and a bottle of bubbly in the fridge, pull out the maraschino I left with you and mix yourself a Ritz cocktail as described by the Cocktailian column of the SF Chronicle:

Ritz of New York
Shake over ice:

• 1 ounce cognac
• 1/2 ounce triple sec
• 2 dashes maraschino liqueur
• 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice

Strain and top with chilled Champagne or other sparkling wine.
Garnish with flamed orange twist

If you don't have any cognac, why don't you try it with gin instead, and maybe blue curacao instead of triple sec? In fact, I'd like to propose the following as a hybrid of a French 75, an Aviation, and a Ritz, which I will call the:

Lafayette Espadrille
Shake over ice:

• 1 shot of gin
• 1/2 oz. blue curacao
• 2 dashes maraschino liqueur
• 1/2 oz lemon juice

Strain and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a cherry.