lord sheffield

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey
3/4 oz Crème Yvette
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Salers (or Suze) Gentiane Liqueur
1 dash Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Two Mondays ago, I was speaking with Ben Sandrof, our St. Germain, Crème Yvette, and Slow & Low representative, about Yvette drinks. I mentioned that I was curious if the berry notes in Yvette would work well with a gentian liqueur as they do in Scott Holliday's Br'er Rabbit and Tyler Wang's L'Année du Mexique. When I got home, I decided to give the idea a try, and I opted for whiskey since it seems to pair rather well with gentian liqueurs, such as in the Harry Palmer. After a few iterations, I had a berry and floral Manhattan variation that I dubbed the Lord Sheffield after the Sheffield Company of Connecticut who first produced the liqueur starting in the 1890s. Note: the Yvette used in this drink was from a new bottle and not the dusty (and empty) relic in the photo.
The Lord Sheffield presented a floral Manhattan-like nose. A grape- and berry-filled sip was followed by a swallow that began with the rye and ended with gentian-violet flower flavors that were rounded out by the Punt e Mes' bitter notes.