avenue

1 1/2 oz Laird's Applejack
1 1/2 oz Old Fitzgerald Bourbon
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1 short barspoon Grenadine
1 drop Orange Blossom Water

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

On Tuesday night, I ventured over to No. 9 Park to pay bartender Ted Kilpatrick a visit. One of the drinks off of the menu that Ted recommended was his take on the Avenue that first appeared in the 1937 Café Royal Cocktail Book. The original created by W.G. Crompton was as follows:

Avenue
• 1/3 Bourbon
• 1/3 Calvados
• 1/3 Passion Fruit Juice
• 1 dash Grenadine
• 1 dash Orange Blossom Water
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Ted mentioned that he found passion fruit syrup instead of the juice to work better; moreover, he changed the proportions around and swapped out shaking for stirring the drink.
Ted's Avenue had an usual fruit aroma with hints of Bourbon. The fruit notes continued on the sip and combined with the whiskey rather well. Moreover, the syrup donated a thick mouth feel that was cleansed by the alcohol heat on the swallow. The end result was tropical, dry, and funky. Indeed, the drink was a lot drier than I expected it to be, and with no citrus in the mix, I have to imagine that Old Fitzgerald did most of the work to beat down the sweetness of the passion fruit syrup and grenadine.