spanish caravan

1 oz Daron Calvados
1 oz Herradura Reposado Tequila
3/4 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry
1/4 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a spiced dehydrated apple slice.

Last Friday I had the day off from work due to my business trip running Sunday to Thursday, and I decided to spend part of my afternoon at Kenmore Square's newest venue, the Island Creek Oyster Bar (the Citizen Pub did open more recently, but that is more in the Fenway region; anyways, we made a trip there as well two nights ago). Head bartender Bobby McCoy greeted me at my seat and walked me through some of the drinks on the menu. The Spanish Caravan, subtitled "From the Exotic to the Familiar," caught my eye and seemed like a good place to start.
Bobby described the interesting genesis of the drink. Jackson Cannon had come up with the idea of a seasonal apple chip as a garnish, and the cocktail itself came as an afterthought albeit a well executed one. The garnish, listed as "salted apple," was a thin slice sprinkled with salt, pepper, sugar, and Chinese 5 spice powder before being dehydrated. The apple and spice elements from the garnish paralleled the Calvados and Allspice Dram in the liquid portion. The nose was very apple-y with hints of sherry and tequila notes. The sip was a spiced apple from the tequila pairing with the brandy, and the swallow contained the sherry's grapeness and the liqueur's allspice flavors. Despite appearing in different parts of the sip, the tequila and allspice complemented each other splendidly. Moreover, the Calvados and sherry worked well together in a full bodied Marconi Wireless sort of way.