Passing Grade
Last Thursday was a unique day for me. In the morning I took the APICS exam to become a Certified Supply Chain Professional. At least I think that’s what it is. It is a four hour 175 question multiple choice test. I studied for it over the previous week by reading 800+ pages of material and taking repeated practice exams. The actual according to Hoyle test was given in a computerized test center that required, among other things, me to be photographed and to turn my pockets inside out to show I wasn’t smuggling in something to help me. I couldn’t even bring in water if I wanted. I found it interesting that at the conclusion of my exam I had to raise my hand to be escorted out of the testing area and then was handed a printout of my results. I assumed I had a passing grade as I saw an exclamation point on the sheet of paper. Other than that, the results sheet resembled everything else about the experience: antiseptic.
That evening I went to my favorite bar. One of the bartenders that I’ve only met briefly was experimenting with a new cocktail he’s working on. He brought it over to Del to try and they went back and forth for a moment. Finally Del gave a nod to me and said “Let him try it, he’s pretty good”. He added “He’s better than me” as he turned away. I realize that last comment isn’t true at all, but I have to admit, I felt a lot better getting a compliment on my cocktail palate than I did getting my test score earlier in the day.
I’ve been requesting more and more bitter cocktails when I’m out. Maybe I’m developing that area of my palate. I was pretty excited when the latest Imbibe Magazine arrived and when I flipped through I found a cocktail called the Bitter Old Coot. Bitters and Fernet Branca; how could I go wrong. It’s been in my cocktail heavy rotation at home ever since.
Bitter Old Coot
- 2 oz Rittenhouse Bonded Rye
- 1 oz Drambuie
- 1 oz Fernet Branca
- 4 dashes Fee’s Whiskey Barrel bitters
- Mix in a double old fashioned glass with a big ice cube
It’s a simple drink with a complex taste. I bumped up the amounts a bit here but kept the ratios the same. Fernet is such a distinctive taste and it can’t really hide in any cocktail. True to the test, it is the dominating taste here. That’s not a bad thing for me, but probably won’t work for most.
