Father William
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
- Lewis Carroll
The Father William martini
The Father William toast needs a little background information as well. As with all of the drink pairings for this special set of puzzle boxes, it is a variation on the 1930 Savoy Jabberwock cocktail, but perhaps truly in a class of its own. The cocktail is an homage to another Father William, Reverend William Daley, who is the director of the Newman Center for Faith and Reason at the University of Notre Dame. Father William is also a notable figure in the craft cocktail renaissance, and has been featured at Tales of the Cocktail (the annual Spirits industry awards event) and in the pages of Death and Company’s acclaimed cocktail book. He notes a common kinship between bartenders and priests: “Someone comes to church because they’re lonely, they’re sad, or they’re celebrating a life or a marriage — people go to a bar because they’re looking for friends, they’ve lost a job, or they just got engaged and want to buy their friends a round of drinks,” he says. “The best bartenders who can figure out what their patron needs would also be excellent ministers — they’re meeting a human being where they are, and they’re hopefully bringing them some warmth and companionship along the proper dimension. That’s what we do together in our work, and that’s why we have a bond.”
A well balanced drink
The good reverend is fond of many classics, but has often extolled the virtues of a proper gin martini. His professed ideal proportions are with 2:1 gin to vermouth, in the old fashioned style of martinis that are far more well balanced than the ultra-dry gin bombs some insist on loving. To each his or her own, the martini is a very personal drink. For this toast, in a nod to Father William, I created a Jabberwock variation on the 2:1 martini. The gin and fino sherry from the original cocktail remain, but the Caperitif vermouth is traded for an herbal liqueur from the alpine regions of Europe, known as Genepy. Light green, delicately floral and sweeter than Chartreuse, it adds a perfect complement to the dry sherry and a touch of elegance to the final martini. It’s a bit of magic in the glass and perfect for this magical puzzle. Cheers!
A seminal pair
Father William
2 oz gin
½ oz Fino sherry
½ oz Genepy des Alpes
2 d lemon bitters
Stir with ice and strain into a festive glass. Balance a lemon peel eel on the nose.
For other cocktails from the series:
and don’t forget to