number 8

Barenjager
Madeira
Tequila
Orange bitters

Stirred with ice, garnished with a large-ish lemon peel.

Update: The recipe from the PDT Cocktail Book is as follows:
• 2 oz Don Julio Reposado Tequila
• 3/4 oz Lustau Palo Cortado Sherry
• 1/2 oz Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur
• 2 dash Orange Bitters
Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

For my second drink of the evening at Pacific Daylight Time, err, I mean Eastern Standard, I asked Mr. Eun to make me a tequila-based cocktail. I had already spotted him making several Number 8s over the course of the evening, and it definitely intrigued me. I regret that I didn't get the proportions (and was a tad too shy to ask him for them). The cocktail was quite complex in flavor, and not cloyingly sweet at all, given the honey liqueur. The smokiness of the tequila was accented nicely by the Madeira. I certainly applaud the use of more sherries, ports, and madeiras - vermouth's been getting all the love lately.

I'd call the bartender exchange a smashing success. The drinks that Fred and I sampled (I *loved* the Mariner that Fred got) were nice changes for our palates. Hopefully more of the Boston-area bartenders will be willing to mix up some new flavors. I haven't really been involved with the cocktail scene for very long, but it seems like this fall is a time of great upheaval in Boston's bars - old, beloved places shutting down (B-Side), new hotshots on the move (Craigie on Main), and a sea-change in the bespoke cocktail (Drink). Change is good. I'll drink to that.