Sharkbaits Cocktail of the Week: Never Give Up

We’ve made it. Another week in the books, and we can kick back and relax with a nice drink. This one comes courtesy of Mrs. Sharkbait. Who came across a post on instagram and forwarded it to me. It’s a Hanky Panky riff called the Don’t Give Up The Ship. It features a gin base, with equal parts orange liqueur, Fernet, and sweet vermouth. I have all of those things. I like (for the most part) all of those things, and it looks pretty easy, especially after a busy week that I’ve had. Let’s see how it is!

1.5 oz Gin
0.5 oz Sweet Vermouth
0.5 oz Fernet Branca
0.5 oz Orange liqueur
Orange zest garnish

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass. Add ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a coupe.

Muted bitter aroma on the nose coming from the Fernet. Kinda wish I had the orange garnish. The Fernet is one of the stronger ingredients that any little garnish can help with the aromas

Oh this is quite strong, both booze level and flavor. The Fernet is the immediate star of the show. The gin, vermouth and liqueur definitely minimize the bitter punch the Fernet brings, but it isn’t neutralized completely, leaving the signature bitter flavor shining through, but not overbearingly so. Again, I wonder if the little extra oomph of the garnish squeezed into the drink would help offset the flavor more. Or perhaps a different orange liqueur. The recipe I followed was pretty vague when it came to orange liqueur. I went with Triple Sec since that’s what I had on hand. I might go with Grand Marnier or Cointreau next time. I feel like those would be slightly better options as they pack a little more orange flavor than Triple Sec does.

Aside from the bitterness, there is an ever so slight sweetness brought in from the vermouth that deepens the overall flavor of the drink, which is very much welcome. Especially since the gin and the Triple Sec are all but lost in the bitter & sweet flavor profile. If there was any ingredient that could cover an ounce and a half of gin as the base, it’s definitely Fernet. Covering of the base extends all the way to the finish. The Bitter Fernet flavors remains in control over the palate, with a hint of sweet trying to claw it back at the end.

Would I make this again? Definitely*. I want to experiment with the different orange liqueur options out there and see which one(s) work better. Though I don’t know how often. While I enjoy it it, it is a touch too bitter for me to keep in regular rotation I think.

*Hi there, coming to you from the next day! So it turns out I never consulted my tracking spreadsheet when I made and wrote about this last night.

Turns out I have made this before, in September of 2021 to be exact. The whole point of tracking like this is to A) archive my posts, and B) to keep track of what I’ve made and not duplicate a drink. I guess it was bound to happen despite my best efforts. At least I used a different orange liqueur this time so it counts as being slightly different right? Right?

(Banner image courtesy Matthew Tetrault Photography)