two stone

2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1 oz Lustau East India Sherry
1/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Flame an orange twist over the top.
For my first drink at Merrill & Co., I asked bartender Byron Lepine for the Two Stone which seemed like an interesting riff on a Manhattan that utilized sherry instead of vermouth. Once in a glass, the Two Stone offered an orange and smoke aroma. Grape and malt on the sip led into rye's heat on the swallow followed by an orange and nutty combination and a spice finish.