Angler's Cocktail

Sometimes it's nice to have a bitter gin cocktail on the rocks. There's no messing around with a lot of ingredients and really not much mixing at all. The shaking seems like an automatic move, not a requirement. That's the only reason I can see why this drink would be called an Angler's cocktail. It's not that there's anything fishy going on with the recipe or the presentation or that fishermen enjoy their gin this way. It's just that, like with fishing, an angler can't be bothered with superfluous steps or actions. Something simple and to the point--a decidedly bitter one--is the way to go.

The bitterness of Angostura and orange bitters is really pronounced here. It adds lots of tropical spices to your gin. For this reason, you want to let the bitters shine and you'll need a gin that is ok with that. Too much going on will crowd the drink. A wet American gin like Filibuster Dual Cask will do the trick.

• 2 oz. gin (Filibuster Dual Cask used)
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• 3 dashes orange bitters (Hella used)
• 3 dashes grenadine

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled Old Fashioned glass with fresh (large) ice cubes.