gin anthem

2 oz Plymouth Gin
1 oz Lillet Blanc
2 drop Orange Flower Water
1 dash Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and garnish with an orange twist (this drink was shaken, but the original recipe recommends stirring).
On Monday after attending the LUPEC Boston holiday party at Trina's Starlite Lounge to raise money and winter clothing for the On the Rise charity, I walked up Beacon Street to get a nightcap at Dalí. After perusing the cocktail menu, I asked bartender Greg Rossi for the Gin Anthem. The drink was created by Tara McLaughlin of the Rob Roy in Seattle; while I did not ask Greg where he acquired the recipe, the drink does appear in Left Coast Libations. The Gin Anthem was essentially a citrussy Martini, and the orange blossom water in the ingredients list reminded me of another drink Greg served me a few months ago, namely the Dama de La Noche from Charles H. Baker, Jr.'s South American Companion. The Gin Anthem had an orange aroma, and with all five of the ingredients including the gin having some aspect of orange botanicals in it, it was hard to pick out which one was the strongest. The citrus continued on in the sip with perhaps the Lillet contributing the most, and the swallow was orange as well with a slightly bitter zing from the bitters and gin.