start & finish

1 1/2 oz Averna
1/2 oz Lillet Blanc
1/2 oz Obsello Absinthe
1/2 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
2 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with an orange twist.

One of Andrea's projects at Tales of the Cocktail this year was to learn about old New England rum. Our interest stems from where we live in Somerville, MA, right next to the Medford border. A short distance from our house was a mighty rum distillery in Somerville and a rather famous one in Medford that were churning out a good amount of liquor before Prohibition. I know that Andrea has a keen interest in seeing rum being made again in the area, but she had no clue what the style actually tasted like. Eventually, she was referred to Steve Remsberg who invited us out to a private tasting of some vintage New England and other old styles of rum on Sunday evening. After a brief rest following the egg seminar, we headed out to grab a taxi.

Since Steve only lives a mile away from the Cure, after the tasting, we decided to walk over to the bar and meet up with the last of the Boston folk who had not departed New Orleans already. In the middle of draining a complimentary cup of punch, I decided on Rhannon Enlil's Start & Finish cocktail off of the cocktail menu and asked bartender Nick to make me one.
The Start & Finish possessed a robust orange oil nose. On the sip, the Averna donated a richness at the beginning of the sip which paired nicely with hints of orange flavor, while on the swallow, the absinthe's anise notes captivated the senses. The drink was really mellow considering that there was a half ounce of absinthe; this speaks either to the Averna rounding out the drink or to Obsello being a softer style of absinthe.

After the Cure, we caught a cab with Devin to go to the Monteleone's carousel bar for a few last revolutions. I ended up spending a good part of the night talking to Paul Clarke over a Vieux Carré and reflecting on how this Tales of the Cocktail had panned out. Soon, the carousel had stopped turning and we realized it was 2am. Our airport shuttle was departing at 6:50am and the realization that life was going to return back to normal all too suddenly and harshly had dawned upon me.