[sieraad]

1 oz Bols Genever
1 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
1 oz VEP Yellow Chartreuse
1/2 dash Fee's Whiskey Barrel Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Twist a lemon peel over the top and discard.

My birthday was on Saturday; however, Andrea was working at the Boston Shaker store all day. To bide my time until she got off, I decided that going to Eastern Standard was the perfect way to celebrate with an early afternoon cocktail. Andrea was smart and checked the Red Sox schedule and alerted me that there was a game that started around 4pm, so I held off on making the trip. My timing was decent as I arrived when the game was in the second inning and the bar staff at Eastern Standard had gotten a small breather from the pre-game rush. This window between the first and eighth or ninth inning of a home game is truly a sweet spot for visiting Eastern Standard. Although witnessing the transition when the game lets out and craft cocktail orders get overtaken by vodka soda ones is rather stunning.
I found a seat at the corner end of the long marble bar near bartender Josh Taylor's station. Josh had an idea for my first drink based on something Brandon had recently served him at No. 9 Park. This drink was a variation of a Bijou which swapped the original's gin and green Chartreuse for Genever and yellow Chartreuse. The drink started with a grand aroma that was full of malt, lemon oil, and yellow Chartreuse notes. The Genever's maltiness came across strongly on the slightly sweet sip and was chased by the Chartreuse botanicals on the swallow. Meanwhile, the sweet vermouth added an element of richness and color to the drink and served to bridge the gap between the spirit and the liqueur. The light cinnamon notes from the bitters began to build up and linger more with each successive sip; moreover, this mixed rather well with the Bols Genever wormwood-like note and the hint of chocolate from the Carpano Antica vermouth.