[laird's lillet love]

1 1/2 oz Lillet Blanc
1 oz Laird's Apple Brandy
1/2 oz Famous Grouse Scotch
1/2 oz Sorgum Syrup
1 dash Smoking Ban Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Twist an orange peel over the top and discard.

For my first drink on Sunday at Drink, I asked Misty for either a Lillet Blanc or a Dubonnet Rouge drink since I wanted to give the other aromatized wines (i.e.: non-sweet or dry vermouth) some love. Misty chose Lillet, although we returned later to the theme at the end to do a Dubonnet drink.

The first mouthful of this cocktail yielded a bit of sweetness, but after that the sensation subsided. What remained was a smoky honey fruity bitter flavor which flexed one aspect over the other depending on what part of the swallow it was. If only they taught people to appreciate the layout of the tongue with cocktails instead of swabs dipped in chemical solutions to map the sweet, salty, bitter, and sour receptors... Andrea thought the drink tasted like dried apricots which was probably due to the Lillet Blanc interacting with the apple brandy. I picked up a dried fruit taste as well but it was more raisiny to my mouth. Andrea also commented that the drink had a muddled finish that was hard to identify. I assume that was due to the Scotch and the complexity of the tobacco bitters. Overall, I must say that this drink intrigued me through out especially with the multitude of notes that were singing to senses.