the zemurray

2 oz Bourbon (Four Roses)
1/4 oz Banana Liqueur (Giffard Banane du Bresil)
1/4 oz Palo Cortado Sherry (Lustau Oloroso)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a Luxardo cherry.
Two Thursdays ago, I reached for Sarah Baird's New Orleans Cocktails book for the evening's nightcap. There, I spotted the Zemurray by Vince Lund then of French 75 that he named after "Sam the Banana Man" Zemurray, the long time king of the New Orleans banana business. Sam entered into the trade back in 1895 where he bought already ripe bananas arriving in New Orleans that could not be delivered further to market before they rotted. Sam found homes for these fruits at local groceries, and with that entrepreneurship, he amassed a fortune that allowed him to expand his business nationwide. Cocktailwise, the Zemurray shared a Bourbon bouquet with a hint of dark fruit and anise spice on the nose. Next, malt and a touch of grape on the sip peeled off into Bourbon, nutty, and banana flavors on the swallow with a clove and anise finish.