I am a big believer in strong emotions. I don’t go for a watered down, half-lived, namby-pamby existence. If you are going to feel things, lean into them. Like the man said in Ecclesiastes, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” So, when you love, love hard. There is no glory in being timid or only giving half your heart. Go big or go write poetry about how you almost made it or how things would have been if you had only tried a bit harder. There is no sadness so bitter as failing, knowing you did not give it your all. So with a nod toward leaning in and letting your heart take the reins, won’t you join me now as we stand and make Love & Murder.

This cocktail jumped out at me immediately for its unique build featuring components that are usually considered supporting ingredients rather than leads. It was created by Nick Bennett at Porchlight in New York City who said that he “wanted a cocktail that felt classic.” In this quest, he combined Campari and Green Chartreuse in a riff on a basic sour format, that he named for a Broadway play, The Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. It is an odd combination, to be sure, but as he said, “I was overjoyed that it turned out as good as it did, because on paper it doesn’t seem like it should work.” If I am honest, this one kind of scares me, but I can’t wait to try it and see if those two bold and flavorful spirits can find balance.

Grab your tins and pop in 1 ounce each of that bitter devil bitch Campari, Green Chartreuse and freshly squeezed lime juice, before adding 3/4 of an ounce of simple syrup and 4-5 drops of saline solution (I use a 5:1 ratio of Kosher salt to water). Add some of that artisanal ice and give it a good shake to the beat of Meatloaf’s grandiose and overproduced 1993 classic “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)“. Give it a good shake, but don’t even go till the piano starts in this 12:01 behemoth of a song. Honestly, you can build this drink from scratch, shake it, pour it up, drink it down, fall in love and refuse to do “that” well before the track is over, so there is no need to rush. When your tins are well chilled, double strain into a coupe and garnish with a lime wheel before serving to the monster of your choice.

Well damn. Mr. Bennett hit this one right on the head, creating a drink that feels like a classic, but with a decidedly unorthodox build. This thing is nearly perfectly balanced. The bitter, complex nature of the Campari finds a friend to play with in that rich, herbaceous Green Chartreuse tied together with the bright citrus acid from the lime juice while the simple syrup smooths things along. Don’t skip out on the saline either, it really is the secret weapon here, tying things up into a neat package of beautifully simple flavor. It really is surprising, just how clean and refreshingly straightforward this drink is, considering the remarkable complexity of its ingredients.

This drink takes caution and throws it to the wind, really going for the gusto, as they say. It reminds me of Hemingway’s advice in For Whom The Bell Tolls:

Try to learn to breathe deeply, really to taste food when you eat, and when you sleep, really to sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough.

Which feels an awful lot like a modern retelling of that bit from Ecclesiastes we visited earlier. Either way, I think that is important, for a drink or for a life to feel all the things, deeply. I try to do that, within reason. I’ve done love, with varying levels of success and I have, fortunately avoided murder, so far, though I have certainly been tempted. I find that love is far more comfortable, so I try to stay on that end of the spectrum. In fact, one of my favorite t-shirts is a simple black affair with the words, “Abide No Hatred,” emblazoned in white on the front. It usually garners a few comments and lots of looks. Sometimes, it’s a thumbs up, sometimes it is a look of suspicion, as if they aren’t quite sure what to make of the sentiment or how to pigeonhole me and very occasionally, a question about where I got a shirt with a message so controversial yet so brave. Which is kind of funny, in an ironic way. I have had people come straight out and ask me, just what is that supposed to mean, and I usually respond with something along the lines of “don’t put up with hate, from anyone.” If they persist I explain that what I really mean is don’t support impersonal hate; that to hate a person you know, who has caused harm to you is fine, but to hate a group of people you’ve never met, well that just doesn’t sit right. And while, I encourage folks to “Abide No Hatred”, of course, there are things in the world that I despise, but on a personal level. While I am happy to love broadly, I think hate should be reserved to a very few, the fewer the better, and it should always be deeply personal. For me, it is not only acceptable but sometimes inevitable to feel hatred for that one person who did a particular thing to me or, more likely, to someone I love. Honor can demand it, but I try to make sure that this deep animosity is only for that person. Not them and folks who wear the same kinds of shirts or skin or beliefs. So I guess I do abide some hatred, but “I Support Personalized & Specific Hatred” just doesn’t have the same ring or look as good on a shirt. Honestly, I am fairly happy to not be able to boil my beliefs down to a simple phrase suitable for a shirt or hat. If you want to judge me, come a little closer and find a reason to dislike me, personally. We can grab a drink, contemplate Love & Murder, discuss the ups and downs of living with big feelings, loving deeply and, occasionally, bringing a little well-placed hate to the table, all while we stay hydrated, stay safe and stay sane, my friends.