Parkers at the Algonquin

This is for The Trad. You're welcome at the house for cocktails anytime.

The Algonquin is my favorite place to drink in Manhattan. The old Oak Bar at the Plaza could have been my favorite, but it was always too crowded. The Algonquin lobby is dark and quiet and has the hotel cat wandering around.

When I was last there in the mid-aughts, the cocktail menu was mostly classics but they did have one house cocktail, the Parker, that I had never seen before. They don't disclose the recipe and we didn't ask, but we managed to make one at home:

The Parker:

In a shaker with ice, add:

- 3 parts vodka
- 1 part Chambord
- juice of half a lemon

Shake until the shaker is so cold that you can't hold it any more (about 30 times). Strain into martini glasses. Drink while reciting pithy literary quips.

You can vary the proportion of vodka to Chambord to get the taste and purply color that you like best.

Note that the recipe is isomorphic to the Sidecar: vodka subs for cognac and Chambord subs for Cointreau.