Many of you might know I've been in the Pacific Northwest recovering and rehabbing from major knee surgery. Why up here? Well, for one, I'm still unable to walk on my own, and while bearing in mind the old adage that no one walks in LA, then certainly no one hobbles.

No matter where, I'm still able to make drinks like this one:

Green Therapy
(or alternatively, Cynardbeg)

• 1.5oz Cynar
• 1.5oz Ardbeg

Stir over ice, strain, garnish with a lemon twist

Early incarnations of the drink had a barspoon of simple syrup, but the Cynar brings just enough sweetness to help offset the smoke of the Ardbeg without blotting it out.

As you can see, it's simple, almost deceptively so. The cynardbeg combo has been on my mind ever since my buddy Jacob Grier introduced me to the Alto Cucina cocktail. But it wasn't until arriving here in Seattle, staying at a friend's house, that the essence of that Boston drink got distilled to its core flavor constituents.

Ardbeg is nothing new in terms of cocktails. Jacob's Curse of Scotland is one of my all time favorites. Meagen Dorham (Raine's Law Room, New York) combines it with Zacapa in the Islay Daiquiri. Andrew Bohrer (Mistral, Seattle) has the John Cameron cocktail, combining 2oz of Carpano Antica with Ardbeg. I've even had smoky margaritas that had a quarter ounce of Ardbeg thrown in.

But I love the taste of Ardbeg on its own and I wanted to make a drink with it front and center. I'm happy I was able to balance the drink out despite a whole ounce and a half of the stuff.

I'll eventually make my way back down to the City of Angels as soon as I'm off crutches and my leg can bear weight again. In the meantime, I'll have to endure more physical (and liquid) therapy here in the Northwest.

---

Update

Visiting Rob Roy, I finally got the chance to try this drink as a flip, and I have to say that it takes on a really great character. The froth adds a new texture, and the richness really distributes the vegetal and smoke flavors really well. I think I really prefer it as a flip.

Black Diamond Flip

• 1.5oz Cynar
• 1.5oz Ardbeg
• 1 egg

Shake and serve up

Evan Zimmerman of Laurelhurst Market makes a drink that's basically this, so I'll credit him for it, but I still want to name it (and promote it).