The Plenaire typeface was inspired by the dots of paint employed by late nineteenth-century European artists. A mixed drink by nature is rather contrary to the premises of the painting styles of Monet and Seurat, since those artists believed in juxtaposition of purer colors rather than mixing anything. But my idea here was to approach my liquor cabinet like an artist, zooming in on ingredients for their color. A Haitian rum (a mix of clairin and agricole rums) served as a clear and strong base for the colorful sweet ingredients to follow: bright red Italian aperitif Cappelletti, and Yellow and Green Chartreuse from the Carthusian monks of France. A little orange (both flavor and color) arrived with some dashes of Regan’s bitters, and some lime juice balanced it out. I feared these contrasting colors might combine to make a dull gray but luckily the result was a pleasant amber. Although in a mixed drink the colors necessarily lose their individuality, when it comes to taste successful cocktails allow each ingredient to play a salient role, and you can taste that here.
