[bittere mout]

2 oz Bols Genever
3/4 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
1/4 oz S. Maria al Monte Amaro (sub Amaro Nonino)
1 dash Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

On Sunday night, Andrea and I went down to Eastern Standard for dinner and drinks at the bar. Bartenders Bobby McCoy and Kit Paschal were at our end of the long marble bar and took turns making drinks for us. Bobby made my first drink which he described as a genever drink combined with S. Maria al Monte, an Italian bitter liqueur that Scott Holliday of Rendezvous introduced me to in drinks like the Bull Rider and the Rude Boy, and that was all he needed to say to sell it. While my remembrances of the amaro was that it was closest to Fernet Branca in its dominant herbal notes, this drink was originally developed using Amaro Nonino.
The cocktail's aroma was full of orange and herbal notes. While the St. Germain and Bols Genever paired up nicely to accent the genever's botanicals, the S. Maria al Monte paired up well with the spirit to highlight the genever's maltiness. Moreover, Bobby made the comment that the St. Germain functioned almost like a vermouth in this recipe. As I continued my drinking experience once my meal arrived, the food helped to bring the orange flavors to the surface.