ceylon

1 1/2 oz Brandy (Pedro Domecq Fundador Solera Reserva)
3/4 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
3/4 oz Dry Sherry (Lustau Don Nuño Dry Oloroso)
1/2 oz Triple Sec (Cointreau)
Juice 1/2 Lemon (3/4 oz)
1 stick Cinnamon broken or 1 shake ground Cinnamon (1/16 tsp Vietnamese cinnamon powder)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
On Monday night, I set out to find a use for the flavorful Spanish brandy we had just bought. While flipping through Patrick Duffy's The Official Mixer's Manual, I spotted the Ceylon which seemed like a quirky enough of a recipe to merit a try. The drink started with a cinnamon and lemon nose. On the sip, a dry lemon flavor was followed by a nutty cinnamon swallow. The Cointreau added a little extra dimension to the citrus and was the primary source for sweetness in this rather dry recipe. As the Ceylon warmed up, the cinnamon and orange notes came more to the forefront. The cinnamon could be safely upped from the amount I used; however, at that level, it did act as a nice accent. Overall, the drink reminded me a bit of a dry Sidecar with additional flavors from the sherry, vermouth, and spice tacked on. For sweeter palates, a less dry sherry or perhaps a cinnamon simple syrup might push this drink to something more agreeable. Moreover, the lemon size was probably smaller when the recipe was created so using a half ounce of juice would assist the balance as well. Fans of dry drinks like the Barbara West will rejoice though.