darkness til dawn

1 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
3/4 oz Cherry Heering
3/4 oz Fernet Branca
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass.

Two Thursdays ago, I stopped into Brick and Mortar when Evan Harrison was bartending. For a drink, I asked if he had any recipes from old Spin the Bottle events that he thought I might like. The one he made for me was another one of Misty Kalkofen's that she made for the night when Eastern Standard's Garrett Harker was on the turntables. Like the Attitude Dancing from that event which I had two weeks before, the Darkness til Dawn was also named after a Carly Simon tune.
With Cherry Heering, Fernet Branca, and lemon juice, the Darkness til Dawn reminded me of the Pinto from Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933. The one major addition to the flavor profile was the apple brandy which contributed greatly to the drink's aroma along with the cherry and lemon notes; later, as the drink warmed up, the aroma became more apple and menthol driven. The rich lemon sip led into an apple swallow that finished with Fernet's menthol flavors that were modified by the citrus notes. Later, the apple on the swallow was joined by the Heering's cherry flavors.