Hump Day Happy Hour

On Monday we celebrate the man who discovered America and popularized the three-corner hat — none other than globetrotter Christopher Columbus.

The miscalculation that landed Columbus in the New World instead of Asia may have been due to the conquistador's affinity for alcohol: His ships were stocked with plenty of fortified wine, a spirit similar in taste to the East India Sherry in this week's colonizing cocktail.

Courtesy of bartender Jim Meehan, a sip or two of some “East Indian Negroni” will have you thanking the trade winds for propelling Chris C. to the land of the free. A distant, more-bitter cousin of the martini, this cocktail is the perfect companion for a day of navigation nostalgia.

“East Indian Negroni”

Ingredients:

2 oz. Banks 5-Island Rum

1 oz. Campari

1 oz. Lustau East India Sherry

1 Orange (for garnish)

Directions: Add first three ingredients to a mixing glass, add ice, stir, and strain into a chilled rocks glass filled with one large cube. Garnish with an orange twist.

Jim Meehan is a bartender at PDT, located in NYC.