[wood nymph tears]

2 oz Bully Boy Rum
3/4 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
1/4 oz Skinos Mastiha Liqueur
3 dash Bitter Truth's Celery Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Last Friday, Andrea and I went over to Lineage for cocktails. One of the drinks that bartender Ryan Lotz wanted to make for me was a cocktail that used a Greek liqueur flavored with pine resin. This resin has been used by the Greeks for thousands of years as a breath freshener and a digestive aid; in addition, it is used as a preservative and flavoring to make retsina wine. While we found the liqueur to be somewhat floral, Ryan picked up more on its vegetal notes and thought that it had a somewhat carroty note to it. Therefore, Ryan bolstered this aspect by incorporating celery bitters in the mix. For a drink name, I dubbed it Wood Nymph Tears after the name for the resin dots that build up after the trees are pricked in preparation for harvest.
The drink began with a lemon oil nose that was floral from the Dolin Blanc and Skinos. Next, the sip was rather dry and vegetal; the liqueur also entered into the swallow where its resin notes mingled with the rum. These resin notes lingered on the finish where it paired well with the celery bitters.