IMBIBE: My Bloody Valentine

It’s hard to find the right thing for Valentine’s Day. Whether a card or a gift, many of the things for sale around February just gush with over-ebullient phrases smacking of insincerity. Can’t we find something honest? Something that says, “I’m ambivalent about you.” Or, “I like you a whole bunch, just not enough to go steady.” Or, “You’re okay.” Or, “You give me the crazy eye.”

On the flip side, there aren’t many cards that say, “I loathe you. Happy Valentine’s Day!”

Until this drink, suggested by Vito Lantz, which was created last Valentine’s Day at The Dorrance, It’s the perfect Valentine for that special someone, even if that someone is yourself.

What: My Bloody Valentine

Found Where: The Dorrance

Go Get:
1 oz Buho Mezcal
1 oz Cherry Herring
1 oz Punt e Mes
1 oz Blood Orange Juice
8 drops Habanero Roasted Mezcal

Make:
Into a tumbler with ice go the ingredients, shake, shake, shake. Pour into a coupe.
Garnish with a heart of orange peel, if you can.

You can’t help but admire The Dorrance bar team with Vito at the helm. Not only can they make any drink possible, or just sling a bottle of lager, they can even cut tiny little hearts of orange peel.

And, they are consummate professionals serving up cocktails at one of Providence’s most romantic date spots (according to several official and unofficial polls).

Vito’s been tending bar for over 20 years, so he’s seen a lot of romantic and unromantic encounters. I asked him for some advice for first Valentine’s dates. He said, “Be super nice to your servers and bartenders. And watch how your date treats them. This is your chance to see how they are a humans. If they treat your servers (bartenders) like trash, run for the door because that’s not a nice person.”