wardman park

1 1/4 oz Dry Sherry (Lustau Don Nuño Dry Oloroso)
3/4 oz Brandy (Pedro Domecq Fundador Solera Reserva)
3/4 oz Drambuie

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

On Sunday night a little over a week ago, the cocktail hour was upon us and I opened up Ted Saucier's Bottom's Up to the Wardman Park. I had spotted this drink the night before along with the Seigniory Club Special; however, the latter drink won out that night and the drink created at the Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. garnered a bookmark for later instead. The hotel was built in 1918 and still exists today as part of the Marriott chain. I could find very little about the bar there with the only interesting details about the whole establishment being a spy scandal and later American soldiers using the sides of the hotel for repelling drills and the pool for clothed swimming practice.
The Wardman Park drink presented itself with a sherry and lemon oil aroma. On the sip, the honey sweetness of the Drambuie was balanced by the sharpness of the dry sherry. Following these notes were the grape of the sherry and Spanish brandy in the middle, and the sherry's nuttiness and the Drambuie's botanicals on the swallow. The lemon twist was noteworthy for helping to bridge the gap between the sherry and Drambiue for the first few sips.