I begin writing this week’s post just a couple of days before an election that will probably increase the per-capita liquor consumption nationwide among a great many of us, myself very likely included. Even in this cocktail column, I’ve never kept my political leanings any kind of a secret and I’m certainly not going to start now. Don’t worry, though, I’m not about to go into some political tirade — you can see those on my Facebook page any time you want! — but just to say that, among the things I am going to keep fighting for is the ability to enjoy your life as you see fit. Cocktails are a part of that.

The name of today’s cocktail, the New Deal, almost certainly comes from the name given to the various efforts by Depression-era U.S. president Franklin Delano Roosevelt to make for a society less controlled by the highest realms of the economic system. The idea was to fight the extreme poverty of the time, but also to head off more radical proposals coming from both the far left and the far right. These changes included the creation of Social Security, the longevity of which will definitely impact your life if you live in the United States, and if you live long enough.

Sadly, I don’t know anything about why today’s cocktail in particular is called the New Deal. It comes to us, once again, from “The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks.” It’s true that New York attorney David Embury’s 1948 cocktail classic comes from the time when the country was first getting to truly enjoy it’s post-World War II prosperity. Beyond that, however, I haven’t a clue where the drink comes from or what about it might have seemed like it was somehow related to FDR’s famed preference for Keynesian economic policies. I do know, however, that it’s a dandy drink that will appeal to those of us who like our beverages sweet but with a hint of floral bitterness.

The New Deal

1 1/2 ounces whiskey (rye or bourbon, possibly Canadian)
1/2 ounce Torani Amer (or whatever Amer Picon substitute you can find or prefer)
1/4 ounce simple syrup (or, possibly, 1 teaspoon superfine sugar)
1 orange twist (advisable garnish)

Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker or mixing glass with plenty of ice, stir vigorously and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Alternatively, you can also simply build it in an old-fashioned glass over ice and stir vigorously. In both cases, it’s a good idea to have a bit of orange peel on hand to complete the beverage. Toast peace and prosperity for all, perhaps.

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This is a tasty beverage that I’ve had very good luck with, but there’s a potential issue. The original recipe for the New Deal calls for Amer Picon, which I’m sure was great but which essentially no longer exists, and my suggested substitute might be hard to find if you live outside of California and/or Nevada and thereabouts. (For details, check out my Picon Punch recipe from last January.)

If you can’t find Torani Amer and you don’t want to make your own DIY Amer Picon, then your best option is to experiment with other amaros. I’m a pretty big fan of this category myself, so it might not be the worst thing in the world to pick up a few bottles of some of the more popular brands and see what works for you.

Since I had Torani Amer, I worked with that. I had good luck with both Crown Royal and Canadian Club’s recent entries into ryes that pass U.S. muster. (The Canadian definition of what can be called “rye” is considerably more relaxed.) Michter’s bourbon resulted in a drink that was, not surprisingly, a bit sweeter but not to excess. For some reason, Canadian Club tasted a bit more boozy-hot, but that might have been because I was using superfine sugar instead of simple syrup.

I also found that, somewhat unusually for me, I was equally fine with the on-the-rocks version of the New Dea. (I usually prefer the “up” version of drinks where that’s an option.) On the other hand, while I’m typically okay with shaking drinks that cocktail conventional wisdom says should be stirred, this time I really didn’t care that much for the shaken version, which seemed too sweet and a bit over diluted, not to mention being a little ugly at least right after you pour due to “clouding” and some unfortunate coloration. I could try and turn that into a really tortured political metaphor but maybe we’ve all had enough of that kind of thing for this week.

Let’s drink to better days. Some may expect them soon, others of us really and truly don’t. I think they may be many years ahead. But let’s drink anyway.