bishop

2 oz Neisson Rhum Agricole Blanc
3/4 oz Claret (Château de Respide, Grave Rouge 2006)
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime twist.

Last Tuesday, Andrea and I were in the mood for cocktails so we made a trip over to No. 9 Park where bartender Ted Kilpatrick was presiding. For my first drink, I ordered the Bishop off of the menu. While Jerry Thomas' Bishop does not contain red wine, later versions of this drink include it in along with the rum. For a rum-wine pairing, a rather minerally rhum agricole, Neisson Blanc from sugar cane grown on volcanic soil, was matched with a Grave Bordeau known for its flinty minerality. Ted described the drink as "juicy and dry" and the "closest thing to sangria [that No. 9 would have on its menu]."
The Bishop's nose was full of lime oil and rhum agricole funk and grassiness. Indeed, the drink was very minerally, and it was akin to a Daiquiri enriched and dried out by red wine and Angostura Bitters. Moreover, it was surprising how well the wine's tannins and the lime flavors coupled.