“And the nominees for Best Supporting Cocktails are. . .”

Wait, “Best what?” Ok, that’s crazy, but if the Academy asked me who should be nominated for this category, we’d steer them toward this recent article in the New York Times. Have a look at some of the Oscar-contender-inspired cocktails and you tell me who should win!

In the past, we have often hosted Oscar parties, but this year, like the last several, we have chosen to keep it simple so we can enjoy the event on our own. That doesn’t mean we aren’t shouting at the television or cheering our own selections from this year’s ballot. Still, party or not, it’s a lot more fun with a good cocktail, so imagine my delight when we spotted the Jeremy Renner cocktail in the Times this morning. We just had to try it.

Jeremy Renner by Leo Robitschek, Eleven Madison Park
1 oz Jameson Irish whiskey
1 oz Rittenhouse 100
.5 oz Cynar
.25 oz maraschino liqueur
.75 oz Dolin dry vermouth

Add ingredients to a mixing glass, stir with ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.

And just like the movies, this drink begs the obvious question, “Is it any good?” Come on, Irish and rye, maraschino liqueur and Cynar—what’s not to love? Yeah, it’s good. It’s really good! It’s a riff on the Manhattan with a tip of the Celtic hat to Boston, but it has a lighter, drier flavor with a complexity that is worthy of Jeremy’s character in The Town. Go read the Times article, check out the video and slideshow to see the other recipes and give one of these a try. There are some pretty interesting ideas there, like the complex, dark and brooding Natalie Portman cocktail, another for James Franco (inspired by 127 Hours, served literally “on the rocks” with a frozen stone in the glass) and a sophisticated-looking gem for Helena Bonham Carter’s role in The King’s Speech.

Of course, this one is not the easiest drink to make from the article, but it’s not the toughest either. We had the ingredients and it’s all spirits, so that’s good. The recipe reminded us of something, but we could not quite recall what, exactly. Try this and let us know what you think, or just add comments about your favorite Oscar hopefuls. Now, Will Jeremy Renner win for his role in The Town? He has a fantastic drink named after him either way, but only time will tell. Speaking of which, it’s only a few hours until the red carpet—time to make another one of these. . .