rogue angel

1 oz Gran Centenario Rosangel Tequila
3/4 oz St. Germain
3/4 oz Meletti
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
2 dash Bittermens Grapefruit Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a hibiscus petal (omitted here).

For my second drink at Russell House Tavern, I asked bartender Aaron Butler if he had been working on anything new. The drink he wanted to show me was his submission to the monthly St. Germain cocktail competition called the Rogue Angel. The drink featured (beside St. Germain of course) Gran Centenario Rosangel, a hibiscus-infused reposado tequila that sees some time in a used port barrel after a year in a standard oak one.
The Rogue Angel greeted me with a St. Germain aroma that was complemented by grapefruit notes from the bitters. A sweet St. Germain and citrus sip was chased by a drying wave of tequila and spice flavors on the swallow. If I were to compare it to a better known drink, Misty Kalkofen's Maximilian Affair comes to mind, although Aaron's was less smokey and more approachable. While one cannot forget that they were drinking tequila in this cocktail, it was gentle enough that it would make for a good agave spirit entry drink.

Postnote: As of June 2011, the drink appears on the Russell House Tavern menu as the "City of Eternal Spring."