Drink This: For travel buffs, a cocktail inspired by Mark Twain's travelogue

Choosing a cocktail to kick off dinner is a decision not to be taken lightly.

"Innocents Abroad," says Roger Landes, head bartender at The Loyalist, "is always my recommendation for an opening drink."

Full of personality, Innocents Abroad gracefully balances slight bitterness with sourness, and just a little background sweetness, to set up the palate for deliciousness (hello, cheeseburger) to come.

Landes mixes Salers gentian liquor (a bitter aperitif from France), genever (a malty, juniper-rich liquor from Holland) and Chinotto (an Italian citrus soda) for what he calls a "tour of Europe' — hence the name of the drink, which was taken from the title of Mark Twain's travel book.

This "malty, fruity negroni riff," says Landes, is finished with housemade grapefruit bitters, which pull out some of the bitter and floral characteristics of the other ingredients.

It's a well-made beverage. Of course, as Landes adds, "high alcohol content never hurts either."

The Loyalist, 177 N. Ada St., 773-913-3774, www.smythandtheloyalist.com

David Hammond is a freelance writer.

Source: Drink This: For travel buffs, a cocktail inspired by Mark Twain's travelogue