jolly pilot

1/6 Amontillado Sherry (1/4 oz Lustau Los Arcos)
3/6 Gin (3/4 oz Beefeater 24)
1/6 Cointreau (1/4 oz)
1/6 Brandy (1/4 oz Pedro Domecq Fundador Solera Reserva)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist and a cocktail onion (we omitted the onion).
Before dinner on Friday night, I selected the Jolly Pilot from the Café Royal Cocktail Book for our preprandial beverage. I was drawn to the recipe for we had not mixed with gin at home in a while, and the combination of orange flavors and sherry is generally a win. Moreover, any excuse to use our new and rather flavorful Spanish brandy is a good one and it cinched in the decision. The Jolly Pilot's nose was lemon oil combined with a grapish note from either the sherry or the brandy we used. The sip was semi-sweet with brandy and gin flavors at the beginning followed by orange, sherry, and Angostura notes on the swallow. Indeed, the alcohol heat and the bitters dried out the drink on the swallow.