Cocktail Notes || EP. 2 "Carinho Novo", by Branden Nguyen || Jasmine

Once upon a time, when I was a younger guitarist, I found myself repeatedly riffing on this two-note motif. At the time, I had a tendency to set most songs, including this little musical idea, to a bossa nova type of groove over a minor blues chord progression. That shorter version would become the first iteration of my song over half a decade ago. Originally written for someone dear, I eventually allowed the song to develop compositionally and expanded it into the final version heard in this video.

The cocktail paired with the song is called the "Jasmine". This cocktail was playfully chosen because it was the nickname my friend went by for milk tea orders. The "Jasmine" cocktail consists of gin, cointreau, campari, and lemon juice. The citric tartness from the lemon and bitter orange liqueur elements combine to give the cocktail a very dry grapefruit juice quality. Great palate cleanser after a heavy and savory meal. Cheers!

[November 5, 2020]