bonita applebum

1 oz Laird's Applejack
3/4 oz Fernet Branca
3/4 oz Drambuie

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

On Thursday, Andrea and I attended the Fernet Branca Industry night at the Franklin Southie co-hosted by DrinkBoston. On the menu, besides shots of Fernet in ice shot glasses, were 6 cocktails created by bartenders across town. The one that caught my eye was the Bonita Applebum created by Emma Hollander of Trina's Starlight Lounge. Joy Richards was one of the two bartenders behind the bar that night and was the one who made me this drink. The bright orange nose led into a rather nice late autumn cocktail. The Drambuie's honey flavor and mouthfeel balanced the sting and bite of the Fernet Branca and it worked well with the light apple notes. At the swallow was the Fernet's lingering menthol herbalness. Without seeing the proportions, the drink had an Old-fashioned cocktail feel to it, although after later receiving the recipe, it does not appear as such. My one complaint was that the apple flavors were not rich enough for me. Laird's Applejack is only 35% apple-derived (the rest is grain neutral spirits), while Calvados or Laird's Bonded, both 100% apple spirit, would have worked better with this recipe to give a more fall feel to the drink.

See the other recipes served that night at the DrinkBoston blog!