Via Carota—the wonderfully excellent, wildly popular restaurant that’s famously hard to get into—has seven distinctive Negronis on its menu and a bottled version to can find in many stores and online.. But on this night, I couldn’t resist the Carota Martini Italiano.

Diana and I were in New York for the evening celebrating a grand fortieth wedding anniversary—yes, it’s true! Her restaurant of choice, of course, was Via Carota.

We have been Jody Williams fans for decades, beginning when she was chef at Il Buco. We once had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with her at her fabulous wine bar, Gottino Enoteca e Salumeria, a place where we were regulars.

This martini has no published recipe, but our genteel and engaging waiter did reveal the two secret ingredients: Grappa and Cocchi Americano. With those clues, I was able to conjure this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 bar spoon (approx. 1/8 oz) Grappa (A clean, un-aged grappa is best)
• 3 oz high-quality, smooth Vodka
• 1 oz Cocchi Americano
• Garnish: A lemon twist

Instructions:

Garnish: Express the oils from the lemon twist over the surface of the drink by squeezing it. Rub the peel around the rim of the glass, then drop it in.g it, then rub the peel around the rim of the glass before dropping it in.

Rinse the Glass: Pour the bar spoon of grappa into a chilled martini or coupe glass. Swirl the glass to completely coat the inside, then discard the excess grappa. This “rinse” leaves all the aroma without the harshness.

Mix the Cocktail: Add the vodka and Cocchi Americano to a mixing glass filled with ice.

Stir (Don’t Shake): Stir well with a bar spoon for about 30 seconds until the outside of the mixing glass is very cold and frosted.

Strain: Strain the cocktail into your prepared, grappa-rinsed glass.

Not exact but close enough for me