King of Hearts

King of Hearts cocktail

Of course the King of Hearts must have his own special toast to celebrate his arrival. All of the puzzle boxes from the Lewis Carroll Puzzle Project inspired their own variations on the classic Jabberwock cocktail, which can be found in the pages of Harry Craddock’s legendary Savoy Cocktail book from 1930. The original featured equal parts of gin, dry sherry, and a unique vermouth from South Africa called Caperitif with a dash of orange bitters. It is an elegant and oft overlooked classic. Caperitif was lost to history for a long time, after the original distillery went defunct. But like many lost spirits, it has been resurrected by a team of modern entrepreneurs and is now available again.

you’ll be pardoned for enjoying this one

If you have read the Alice in Wonderland stories, you will no doubt have noticed that the King plays a distinct foil to the queen, placating and pacifying the agitation she leaves in her wake. He is not entirely reasonable (no one who lives down the rabbit hole is, after all), and has the entitled and foolish air of a cartoon politician, but manages to be kind when required. I’ve taken those cues from his character to “soften” his cocktail, which is therefore the balanced version of the Queen’s Jabberwock. For the Queen of Hearts cocktail, the original Caperitif vermouth was replaced by bright red, bold and bitter Campari. In the King’s version, the bitterness is dialed back with a much sweeter and more mellow spirit, Cardamaro, a mild amaro infused with cardoon and blessed thistle. You’ll be pardoned for enjoying this drink when you need something a little more timid. Cheers!

A regal pair

King of Hearts

1 oz gin

1 oz Amontillado sherry

1 oz Cardamaro

2 dashes orange bitters

Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a regal glass. Garnish with the King’s royal orb and scepter.

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