adriatic yacht club

1 oz House Rum Blend (*)
1 oz Amaro Montenegro
3/4 oz Housemade Falernum
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass. Fill with crushed ice and garnish with mint and grated nutmeg.
(*) A mix of 4 rums: Plantation Dark and Three Star Rums, and Hamilton Jamaican and 151 Proof Demerara Rums.

A few Wednesdays ago, Andrea and I had dinner at Sarma. For a first drink, I asked bartender Brandon Rucker for the Adriatic Yacht Club. I recognized it as an Amaro Montenegro riff on the early 20th century Royal Bermuda Yacht Club that I first had at Island Creek Oyster Bar; I had done a similar swap with elderflower liqueur in the Hold the Line over the summer. This particular variation turned out to be Brandon's, and his pedigree from ICOB perhaps explained his interest in that classic.
Instead of the cocktail glass format of the Royal Bermuda, the Adriatic variation went in the direction of tall with crushed ice and garnished accordingly. Once assembled, it gave forth mint and nutmeg notes on the nose. Lime with a decent mouthfeel on the sip led into rum, orange, clove, and herbal flavors on the swallow with a spice-driven finish.