queen's smile

1 1/2 oz Beefeater Gin
1/2 oz Drambuie
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot

Shake with ice and garnish with a lemon twist.

Last Tuesday, Andrea and I headed over to Bergamot for a late dinner. For a drink, I asked bartender Paul Manzelli for the Queen's Smile off of the cocktail menu. Paul described it as a riff on the Prince's Smile where he subbed the original's apple brandy for Drambuie to donate some winter spice. Moreover, the Prince's Smile is very similar to the Little King in Ted Saucier's Bottom's Up which I wrote about earlier in the year. Paul also mentioned that the drink is a variation of Craigie on Main's Monk's Charm albeit with Benedictine instead of the Drambuie (or apple brandy) and slightly different proportions.
The Queen's Smile initially had a lemon aroma, but over time apricot notes also appeared on the nose. The sip was filled with lemon, honey, and apricot flavors with gin, floral notes from the Drambuie, and additional apricot flavors on the swallow.