Monday, December 12, 2016

duboudreau cocktail

2 oz Rittenhouse Rye (Sazerac)
3/4 oz Dubonnet Rouge (Bonal)
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
1/4 oz St. Germain (St. Elder)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.
For the cocktail hour two Mondays ago, I re-investigated the PDT Cocktail Book for recipes that I might have glossed over the past few years. The one that called out to me was Jim Meehan's 2009 riff on Jamie Boudreau's Cooper's Cocktail which was a combination of rye, elderflower, and Fernet created at the Vessel in Seatle. I probably skipped over this recipe since I lacked Dubonnet which is part of the name; since I stopped stocking this Kentucky-made quinquina at home, I have had good luck substituting in Bonal, so it was worth a try here. In the glass, the Duboudreau Cocktail presented a lemon, rye, and herbal-menthol bouquet to the nose. Next, malt and grape on the sip offered up a familiar Manhattan-y feel, and the swallow showcased rye, floral, and bitter flavors with menthol and quinine notes on the finish.