south end sling

2 oz Cherry Heering
1/2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Crema
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a Highball glass filled with fresh ice. Top with ~1 1/2 oz ginger beer. Garnish with a mint sprig and add a straw.

Two Mondays ago, Andrea and I headed over to the South End to dine at Estragon. For a first drink, bartender Sahil Mehta wanted to showcase a recipe that he had entered in the Heering Sling competition. When he mentioned that there was Fernet Branca in there, I immediately thought of how well that pairs with Cherry Heering such as in Misty Kalkofen's Darkness Til Dawn and in the classic Pinto. About a week later, Sahil sent me an email that this drink was selected as one of the ten finalists for the competition!
This homage to Estragon's neighborhood in Boston began with a mint and ginger aroma for me and a mint and cherry one for Andrea. The cherry and lime filled the sip; despite there being a large slug of Cherry Heering in the mix, the flavor balance did not suggest that. The spicy herbal swallow contained the ginger and Fernet notes with light smoke accents.