CAMSHAFT

CAMSHAFT

1 measure vodka

½ measure Campari

1 measure passion fruit or grapefruit

1 measure orange juice

1 measure lemonade

 

 

In an engine, the camshaft is an operating valve that looks like a long steel tube. As a cocktail, the CAMSHAFT is a pretty pink drink served in a short tube. Both have a great effect on performance, and neither should be overlooked.

 

 

To make the CAMSHAFT, I put the ingredients above into a cocktail shaker, added ice, shook it with the vigor of a piston and strained the mixture into a small cocktail glass that was half-filled with ice. Those ingredients included the obscure Campari liquor, an Italian aperitif made from secret herbs and spices. It is known all over the world, and has an unmistakably bitter taste that can’t be missed in the CAMSHAFT cocktail. You either love or hate Campari. I’m in the latter group, but I still enjoyed my CAMSHAFT. It tasted like a Hawaiian punch, but less sweet, and is a different twist on the whole vodka and juice thing. It also proved to me that if you must drink Campari, orange juice is the best companion.

 

I’m not sure where the recipe for the CAMSHAFT cocktail came from. It was just scribbled on a large post-it note that was stuck in the front of my main cocktail book, 750 Cocktails. I can’t for the life of me remember why or when I wrote it. Just another day in the life…

 

Drink Up^

Cocktail Connie