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ONE SHOULD HAVE an established policy when a strange new bottle of liquor arrives on one's doorstep. It is like a baby in a basket: Once you bring it into your house, you must watch over it as if it were your own. Work with it carefully and it will thrive, mature, charm your guests and keep you warm in old age. Allow it to mix with the wrong associates and you will end up the central figure in a farfetched melodrama.
当一瓶新奇的酒送到你家门口时，你应当有一个既定的对策。它就像一个放在篮中的婴儿：一旦你把它带进屋，你就必须像对待自己的亲生孩子那样照料他。小心翼翼地对待他，他就会茁壮成长、成熟起来、赢得客人的喜爱，并在你年老之时给你带来温暖。如果纵容他与糟糕的伙伴混在一起，最终你会成为一场乱七八糟的的闹剧的中心人物。
My new guest is a bottle of Génépy des Alpes, which arrived on an otherwise innocent-looking sunny day. As with a baby, I first endeavored to ascertain its origins. Its papers proclaim Génépy des Alpes--which Google Translate helpfully informs me means 'Génépy Alps'; isn't technology grand?--to be a 'legendary alpine herbal liqueur,' which startled me, because I was holding the legendary thing in my hands. Despite the liquor's French pedigree--they mix up the stuff in Chambéry using a hush-hush recipe--the marketing copy provided by one distributor sounds more Californian ('Efforts to brand this style of product have been nothing short of epic'--dude, really?), and the importer's serving suggestions are as flimsy as edelweiss. The liqueur is 'very welcome after a fondue,' the label says, but what isn't welcome after a fondue? 'Serve immediately after very satisfying sex,' it might as well say, 'and enjoy.'
F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Anne Cardenas, Lettering by Angela Southern for The Wall Street Journal我的新客人是一瓶阿尔卑斯蒿酒(Genepy des Alpes)，它是在某个阳光明媚、看上去平和清 的日子里送到我家的。如同对待一个婴儿一样，我首先做的就是设法查明它的出身。它的标签上印着“Genepy des Alpes”——谷歌翻译(Google Translate)提供了帮助，告诉我它在英文中的意思是“Genepy Alps”，科技是不是很伟大？标签上宣称它是一种“传奇的阿尔卑斯草本利口酒”，这让我有些惶恐，因为我的双手正捧着这传奇之物。尽管这款酒源自法国——它是生产商采用一个秘方在尚贝里(Chambery)调制的——一位分销商提供的宣传材料听上去却更像加州风格（“给此款酒品打品牌的活动简直就是一次惊人的壮举”——伙计，你是说真的吗？），同时进口商的饮用建议则如高山火绒草一般虚幻。标签上写着，这款利口酒“在芝士火锅后享用非常宜人”，但是在吃过芝士火锅后还有什么东西会不受人喜爱呢？倒不如这样说好了，“在令人非常满足的性爱后立即好好享用。”
I ushered the new arrival out of its things and took a good look at it. Génépy des Alpes is pale green, almost jaundicey, an alarming color for a baby but an alluring one in a shot glass. It has a light, crisp smell, much better than a baby, presumably due to the 'petite and rare variety of artemisia' that the label tells me is 'most prominent' in the taste. It reminded me of Chartreuse, the French liqueur pretentious people drink in novels and pretentious novelists serve to people, so I poured a dose of that into a shot glass and lined them up. They eyed each other like step-siblings. 'We are all family,' I told them. 'My love for you, Chartreuse, will not diminish with this new arrival.' The silence seemed companionable, which I thought was a good start, and so I tried Génépy des Alpes as a substitute for Chartreuse in a Last Word, a cocktail renowned in my household because a) it's weird, b) it's easy to make and c) it gets everyone knackered. I christened this variation the Yodeler, because it's an Alpine Last Word--get it?
我把这位新客人请出来好好端详了一番。阿尔卑斯蒿酒的色泽为淡绿色，有些接近黄绿色，这种颜色若出现在婴儿身上会让人警惕，但出现在子弹杯中却是一种诱人的颜色。它的香味浅淡清爽，要比婴儿好闻多了，这大概是因为如标签所示，它的原料包括“一种娇小而稀有的蒿草”，这种蒿草的味道在它的味道中“非常突出”。它让我想起了查特酒，小说中的自命不凡之人喜欢品饮、自负的小说家给大家奉上的那种法国利口酒，于是我倒了一点儿查特酒到子弹杯中，然后把两杯酒并排摆放。它们就像非亲手足那样相互注视着对方。我对它们说道：“我们都是一家人，查特酒，我对你的爱不会因为这个新成员的到来而减淡。”它们的沉默似乎是友善的，我觉得这是一个很好的开始，所以我以阿尔卑斯蒿酒代替查特酒把它调入了“Last Word”（意为“好得无以复加的东西”）中。这款鸡尾酒在我家很出名，因为a)它很奇特，b)容易调制而且c)它让大家都酣畅淋漓。我把加入阿尔卑斯蒿酒的这款酒取名为“约德尔歌者”(The Yodeler)，因为它是阿尔卑斯风格的“Last Word”——明白了吗？
The Yodeler
“约德尔歌者”
¾ ounce Génépy des Alpes
3/4盎司阿尔卑斯蒿酒
¾ ounce lime juice
3/4盎司酸橙汁
¾ ounce maraschino liqueur
3/4盎司黑樱桃利口酒
¾ ounce Bluecoat (or similar solid but unshowy) gin
3/4盎司Bluecoat（或者同样纯正但不招摇的品牌）杜松子酒
Stir and strain over ice into a glass from which everyone suddenly wants to sip.
搅拌均匀后把酒从冰块上滤入杯中，每个人都会想要马上抿上一口这款酒。
In a Yodeler one needs a gin that acts as a wet nurse, nourishing its young charges without exposing itself overmuch. The results, according to a small group of grownups who suddenly gathered round, were quite lively. The Yodeler is less complex than the Last Word, but yodeling, in its way, is less complicated than talking. 'You know what this reminds me of?' asked one of my comrades, who would not like to be identified but nevertheless is novelist Andrew Sean Greer. 'That purple stuff you put in Aviations.'
调制这款鸡尾酒，你需要一种充当乳母角色的杜松子酒，它在滋养小东西的同时又不会过度暴露自己。据突然围到我身边的那一小群成年人称，调出来的酒相当清新爽口。它没“Last Word”那么复杂，但是吟唱约德尔调本身就没说话那么复杂。我的一位伙伴说道：“你知道它让我想起了什么吗？你调入Aviation（意为“飞行”）中的那种紫色的东西。”他不愿意透露自己的姓名，不过我可以告诉你他是小说家安德鲁·肖恩·格里尔(Andrew Sean Greer)。
'Good call, Andrew Sean Greer,' I answered, and quickly mixed up an Aviation with a splash of Génépy des Alpes instead of Crème de Violette, the ingredient that gives the Aviation a curiously 1980s purple hue--too much Crème de Violette and my household changes the name of the drink to the Prince and the Revolution. With Génépy des Alpes, however, we called it the Saint-Exupéry, after the author of 'The Little Prince,' who also flew reconnaissance missions with the French Air Force.
“说得好，安德鲁·肖恩·格里尔，”我答道，然后迅速以少许阿尔卑斯蒿酒代替紫罗兰酒(Creme de Violette)混入一杯Aviation中。紫罗兰酒会给Aviation赋予一种奇妙的上世纪80年代的紫色调——如果加入的紫罗兰酒过多，我们家就会把这款鸡尾酒改称为“The Prince and the Revolution”（意为“王子和革命”）。不过，以阿尔卑斯蒿酒代替了紫罗兰酒的话，我们则以《小王子》(The Little Prince)作者的姓 埃克苏佩里(Saint-Exupery)来命名这款鸡尾酒，这位作家还曾为法国空军执行过空中侦察任务。
The Saint-Exupéry
“ 埃克苏佩里”
½ ounce lemon juice
1/2盎司柠檬汁
¼ ounce maraschino liqueur, which you already have lying around from the Yodeler
1/4黑樱桃利口酒，可以用调制“约德尔歌者”剩下的酒
2 ounces Bluecoat gin
两盎司Bluecoat杜松子酒
Dash of Génépy des Alpes
少许阿尔卑斯蒿酒
Stir and serve to the other guests who have arrived just in time.
搅拌均匀，然后把它端给刚好这时候赶到的其他客人。
'Too strong,' was the verdict, and it was true: The Génépy des Alpes was quite overwhelmed, as if the citrus was an overly boisterous family friend, causing our new adoptee to hide behind the curtains. 'Come on out,' I told the shivering liqueur. 'Let me try you in a Martini.'
大家的评判是：“太浓烈了”，事实确实如此：阿尔卑斯蒿酒在相当程度上被压制住了，就好像柠檬是一个过分喧闹的家庭友人，导致我们新收养的孩子藏在了 子后。我对这不停颤抖的利口酒说道：“出来吧，让我试试把你调入马提尼当中。”
Introducing a new bottle to unadorned gin is like introducing a stray child to the mistress of the household: If they don't get along, it's not gonna happen. Given Génépy des Alpes's softer, slightly citrusy bouquet, I chose a different gin, the United Kingdom's Sipsmith, which is A.S. Byatt to the American Bluecoat's Toni Morrison: fancier, more flowery and drives on the other side of the road. 'Tastes like 'Possession,' ' raved Mr. Greer after the first sip, and I'm almost positive he meant the celebrated novel and not a demon clutching an innocent soul.
将一种新奇的酒调入 实平淡的杜松子酒就像把一个流浪的孩子介绍给家中的女主人：如果他们相处不好，事情就没法办成。考虑到阿尔卑斯蒿酒的香味更柔和且有淡淡的柑橘味，我选择了一种不同的杜松子酒——英国的Sipsmith杜松子酒，它好比是英国的A.S.拜厄特(A.S. Byatt)，而Bluecoat就像美国的托妮·莫里森(Toni Morrison)：它更奇特、更花哨，而且风格不同。“喝起来像‘占有’，”格里尔在品了第一口后赞道。我几乎能确信他说的是那部知名小说《占有》(Possession)，而不是指一个攫住一个无辜之人的恶魔。
The Byatt
“拜厄特”
1 ounce Génépy des Alpes
一盎司阿尔卑斯蒿酒
3 ounces Sipsmith gin
三盎司Sipsmith杜松子酒
Stir and serve up with a peel from the desiccated lemon still hanging around after the Saint-Exupéry.
搅拌均匀，配上少许柠檬皮，可采用调制“ 埃克苏佩里”后留下的变干的柠檬。
'Not bad,' pronounced the only actual mother in my household, my charming wife, who birthed a child who surely someone remembered to pick up from elementary school. 'But try it in a vodka Martini.'
“还不错，不过再在伏特加马提尼中试试吧。”家中唯一真正的母亲——我迷人的妻子如是评价。她给我们家诞下了一个孩子，肯定会有人记得把他从小学学校接回来的。
All babies who enter my household are instructed that there is no such thing as a vodka Martini, just as there is no such thing as a just war or a charming child who is awake at 9 p.m. Nonetheless I humored the lady of the house, and thought the adopted child's meek, fruity demeanor might mingle nicely with Core Vodka, which they distill in Valatie, N.Y., from local apples. Hmm, what to name the thing? What else is alpine and fruity?
所有进入我家门的孩子都会被告知没有伏特加马提尼这种东西，正如世上不存在正义的战争或晚上九点还醒着的惹人喜爱的孩子一样。尽管如此，我还是迁就了夫人，同时想着这个“养子”柔和而具果味的特性或许能和纽约州韦莱舍(Valatie)用本地苹果蒸馏制成的Core伏特加很好地融合在一起。嗯，给它取个什么名字呢？还有什么是来自阿尔卑斯又具有果香的呢？
The Ricola
“利口乐”(Ricola，译注：Ricola是瑞士著名的喉糖与薄荷糖品牌)
1 ounce Génépy des Alpes
一盎司阿尔卑斯蒿酒
3 ounces Core Vodka
三盎司Core伏特加
Strain into the waiting arms of my charming wife.
滤入我迷人的妻子张开双臂拿着的杯子中。
She did not cough while she sipped it, and when she passed it around the results were curiously vanilla, by which I mean not 'sexually tame' but 'actually tasting like vanilla.' 'I like vanilla,' said my wife, unnecessarily exposing herself to ribald mockery, but thank goodness dinner was ready. I had seared some salmon with a gorgonzola crust, not quite fondue but as close as it gets in my house without scrounging around the basement for a long-ago wedding gift. Hastily, I poured a dose of Génépy des Alpes into several flutes and filled the rest with Champagne. Bubbly? French? My DVD player could name this drink itself.
她抿了一小口酒而且没有呛咳嗽。她把酒传给了大家品鉴，众人的评价是它有一种奇妙的香草味。我的意思不是说“性平淡”（译注：“香草性爱”(vanilla sex)意为“平淡的没有新意的性爱”），而是“品上去真的有香草味”。我妻子说道：“我喜欢香草”，毫无必要地让自己面临着遭到粗俗嘲弄的风险，幸亏这时晚饭做好了。我撒了一层戈尔根朱勒干酪烤了些鲑鱼，它不是非常浓稠，但程度接近于走入我的房子而没有去地下室四处搜寻很久以前的一件结婚礼物。我迅速往几个高脚杯中倒了些阿尔卑斯蒿酒，然后再在杯中倒满了香槟。起泡？法式风格？我的DVD播放机能给这款鸡尾酒起一个名字。
The Jacques Tati
“贾克·大地”(Jacques Tati，译注：Jacques Tati为法国电影导演与演员)
½ ounce Génépy des Alpes
1/2盎司阿尔卑斯蒿酒
Fill with Champagne or sparkling wine and serve to people who are already tipsy.
再在杯中加满香槟或起泡酒，然后把它端给已经喝得醉醺醺的客人。
'Fruity!' exclaimed the novelist. 'Flowery!' exclaimed the missus. Myself, I was putting the baby to bed. It had been a very busy evening for Génépy des Alpes, and it was all tuckered out. Tomorrow, we would try it in a sidecar (the Citroën?) and with white wine (the Kir Bourgie?), but for now, the bottle needed to go where all my guests end up sooner or later. In the liquor cabinet.
“果香丰富！”小说家惊叹道。夫人则赞道：“花香浓郁！”至于我嘛，我正在安顿这个孩子上床睡觉。对阿尔卑斯蒿酒来说，这是一个非常忙碌的夜晚，它已经累得筋疲力尽。明天我们将在一辆摩托车边车（雪铁龙(Citroen)？）中尝试把它与白葡萄酒调在一起（Kir Bourgie？）。不过，现在它需要去往我所有的客人迟早都要呆着的地方——酒柜。
Daneil Handler
Daneil Handler
Mr. Handler is the author of four novels, including, most recently, 'Why We Broke Up,' with illustrator Maira Kalman. As Lemony Snicket he has written the series 'All The Wrong Questions' and 'A Series of Unfortunate Events.'
（本文作者丹尼尔·汉德勒(Daneil Handler)是四部小说的作者，最近一部为他与插画家迈拉·卡尔曼(Maira Kalman)合作的《我们为什么分手》(Why We Broke Up)。他还以雷蒙·斯尼奇(Lemony Snicket)的笔名创作了《谁是嫌疑人》(All The Wrong Questions)和《雷蒙·斯尼奇的不幸历险》(A Series of Unfortunate Events)系列小说。）
