armada

2 oz Landy VSOP Cognac
1 oz Tawny Port
1/2 oz Demerara Sugar Syrup
1/4 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
3-4 drop Bittermen's Tiki Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass.

For my full-sized drink at No. 9 Park last night, I asked Matt to make me an Armada off of their Restaurant Week cocktail menu (a supplement to their regular cocktail menu, and just as long). Matt told me that the drink was designed to be paired with the foie gras preparation on the Restaurant Week menu. He inquired whether the name Armada was inappropriate, and I replied that it was fine especially since port has such a rich naval history since the fortification process of the wine with brandy made it more stable and long lasting during sea travel. Furthermore, I commented how I had just had a drink called the Crusade, so Armada seemed rather tame in comparison. As for the drink itself, the richness of the port wine worked well with the depth of spice in the allspice dram and Tiki bitters. I cannot comment on how well it would work with foie gras (*), but I trust that it was a good match with the Cognac acting as a good cleanser for a fatty pate.

(*) My neighbor, Richard, served as a good drinking companion. Well, he was mainly eating, but he was shocked when he heard I was a vegetarian. Regardless, he had some good stories including one from his childhood where he accompanied his dad on a raid on a bootlegging operation in Milton, MA. His description of the beauty of a 3-story copper still stashed away in a barn and how sad it was to see it destroyed made for a highlight of the evening.