The Campfire cocktail at Montrio starts with a common spirit.

Let’s say Ted Sorensen – that’s JFK’s speechwriter, for those who don’t remember – handed Kennedy a script full of words like “bigly” and “huge” and other fourth-grade level locutions. He would still turn it into something memorable at the podium.

Now let’s say bartender – nay, spirit smith – Anthony Vitacca had to work with a mild, entry-level scotch like Grant’s. This scenario actually happened, and what the veteran smithy created from it is… well, let’s just say he did not shrink from this responsibility, he welcomed it. The “Campfire” cocktail resembles sunset in the woods. A wisp of smoke eases from the whisky, drifting against a sky streaked with ginger and orange. This begins to dwindle into a resinous gloaming – pine needles falling onto damp brown leaves.

Vitacca achieves this with measures of ginger beer, pine liqueur and orange bitters. But it is not a melancholy cocktail. The sensation of ripe fruit lingers throughout, with some soft floral notes and that elegant tingle of fresh pine. So to let the word go forth, it’s a simple yet clever concoction. It may even be huge.

MONTRIO BISTRO, 414 Calle Principal, Monterey. 648-8880, montrio.com