end of days

2 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1 1/2 oz Amer Picon
1 dash Abbott's Bitters
1 barspoon Henri Bardouin Pastis

Stir rye, Amer, and bitters on ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Float the pastis on top.

For my second drink at No. 9 Park on Tuesday, I asked Matthew Schrage for a drink with pastis. Eventually we narrowed it down to rye as a base spirit and that was enough for him to go on. For the pastis, Matt chose to layer it on top which made not only for a stunning appearance but an intriguing flavor gradient. The first few sips of this cocktail were all pastis in flavor. Shortly after, the second notable wave was the pastis slightly diminished with hints of the rye creeping in. Around half way in the drink, there was less anise from the pastis, more rye, and the orange notes of the Amer Picon starting to show. By the last part, the trend continued along with the Abbott's bitters beginning to really shine.

The cocktail was named after the depleting Amer Picon stock and how the recipe had a fin de siècle sort of degeneracy and decadence to it. Also, the halo of pastis floating over the drink added to the end of times symbolism.