Better Mental Health — The Therapeutic Agent

Therapy can be extraordinarily helpful and meaningfully improve some people’s lives. I’m not saying a Therapeutic Agent will improve your mental health, but if you’re still reading, you’re probably considering it. Courtesy of T1m (not a typo) Kirkland on Instagram, I learned about this creation from Baron Stout.

The Therapeutic Agent

1.5 ounces cognac or brandy
1 ounce dry or bianco vermouth
.75 ounces bourbon
.25 ounces Fernet Branca

Combine in a mixing glass with ice, stir with serenity evocative of therapeutic breakthrough bliss, and strain into a chilled glass.

Looking for a sweet drink? Like the droids in the first Star Wars movie (the first in theaters, not the first in the chronology), the Therapeutic Agent isn’t the cocktail you’re looking for. Its combination of ingredients is dry and strangely alluring. The original recipe calls for cognac, but any grape brandy works well (same goes for the Ce Soir). Bianco vermouth is clear like dry vermouth, just a touch sweeter. Bourbon is bourbon. Fernet Branca, an amaro used in cocktails such as the Newark, is well known for its strong mint taste. Be careful when using it in the Therapeutic Agent, as there’s a risk of overpowering the other ingredients.

The Therapeutic Agent can be far more effective than George Costanza’s “Serenity Now!” mantra in the TV show “Seinfeld.” Book yourself a session with this liquid therapist.