Eeyore's Requiem
- 1 1⁄2 oz Campari
- 1 oz Bianco Vermouth
- 2⁄3 oz London Dry Gin
- 1⁄4 oz Cynar amaro
- 1⁄4 oz Fernet Branca amaro
- 2 dash Orange Bitters
- Stir with ice, strain into a cold coupe glass
- Garnish with an orange twist
Happy Friday, friends.
As a novice bass player, I’m relearning how to read and understand music, something I haven’t done in an organized way since Grade 5. One concept that recently caught my attention are chord inversions: rearranging a chord so that a note other than the root becomes the lowest tone. Inversions create a different sonic texture, smooth transitions between chords, and add both complexity and tension to music.
This week’s cocktail is, in a way, an inverted Negroni. Eeyore’s Requiem reverses the traditional structure by letting the bitter elements take the lead while the base spirit plays rhythm in the background. Campari–along with its bitter amaro partners Cynar and Fernet Branca–outweighs the gin at a 3:1 ratio, heightening the cocktail’s complexity and dialing back the gin’s juniper bite.
The drink opens with bright citrus on the nose from the orange garnish. That initial sweet citrus flows into Campari’s bitter-orange character, grounded by the soft, floral notes of the bianco vermouth. Soon, the Fernet and Cynar emerge: complex, herbal, and unapologetically bitter, with whispers of mint, anise, myrrh, fennel, and gentian root. Hidden in the cheap seats is the gin, quietly waving to remind you it’s still there.
It’s a brilliant celebration of bitter amaros–an inversion of the Negroni form–much like the requiem that honors its melancholic namesake, Eeyore.
The cocktail’s bittersweet nature mirrors my own recent experiences.
Since moving back to Canada with my family this spring–settling in my wife’s hometown of Kelowna, British Columbia–I’ve found the transition both beautiful and challenging. Kelowna is an idyllic place: a valley of orchards, vineyards, and ski mountains surrounding Lake Okanagan. If not for career logistics, we’d have moved here long ago.
As the only American in the family, I expected to apply for permanent residency under my wife’s sponsorship, much as we did for her U.S. green card when we were first married. My plan had been to continue working remotely for my previous employer, but a RIF earlier this year derailed that plan and sent me back into the job market.
Since then, I’ve learned a lot about cross-border employment:
- Many U.S.-based companies without a Canadian entity can’t hire workers residing in Canada, even U.S. citizens.
- Companies that do have a Canadian presence often require candidates to hold valid residency or work status.
- Contracting can be a workaround–though not without its own hurdles.
In one recent case, a former colleague tried to bring me on for a short-term contract, but the company’s procurement team only engaged with incorporated vendors, not individuals. I spent weeks exploring subcontracting options, but the opportunity evaporated under the weight of process and policy. A bitter lesson in how red tape can choke a perfectly good idea.
Last weekend, my wife and I caught Sarah Maclachlan’s 30th Anniversary concert at Prospera Place here in Kelowna–a celebration of her Fumbling Towards Ecstasy album. It was a joy to see her perform again, voice clear and strong after a year of recovery. Her music instantly transported me back to my post-college years–early jobs, graduate school, and marriage–all warm memories of hope and growth.
One song in particular, Hold On, resonated deeply as she sang:
Hold on, hold on to yourself, for this is gonna hurt like hell,
Hold on, hold on to yourself, know that only time will tell…
Much like Eeyore’s dour pessimism offsets Pooh's gentle optimism, my convoluted employment situation contrasts with my determined perseverance to keep moving forward–for the health and well-being of my family and myself.
To that, I raise this Eeyore’s Requiem: a toast to endurance, perspective, and the bitter-sweetness of the journey.
Oh, and yes–I finally discovered poutine. 😍
