standish arms

1/2 William Penn Rye (1 1/2 oz Redemption Rye)
1/4 Italian Vermouth (3/4 oz Vya Sweet Vermouth)
1/4 Grapefruit Juice (3/4 oz)
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

For my second drink on Friday, I found the Standish Arms in Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933. The recipe reminded me a lot of Jackson Cannon's Honey Fitz that I had at Tales of the Cocktail last summer. Here, the recipe contains rye and sweet vermouth instead of the Honey Fitz's dark aged rum and honey syrup, but the proportions, grapefruit juice, and Peychaud's Bitters are all the same. Moreover, the De Rigueur and Brown Derby #2 are whiskey-based versions of the Honey Fitz sans bitters. Next, I was curious and pondered what the drink could be named after. There was a Standish Arms built in Brooklyn in the Beaux Arts style; the hotel was built in 1903 which puts it in the right time era for the publication. While many famous real and fictional characters (including Clark Kent) stayed in the hotel and apartments there, I could not confirm if there was a restaurant or bar there that would support this idea. Since there could be other Standish Arms as the inspiration, it was time to move on and drink.
The Standish Arms presented itself with a rye aroma spiked with anise notes from the Peychaud's. The sip contained the fruit notes from the grapefruit juice and Vya vermouth's red wine base. Meanwhile, the swallow contained the rye, spice, and a little crispness from the citrus. Indeed, the grapefruit and sweet vermouth paired surprisingly well and each complemented the rye too. Furthermore, the grapefruit and sweet vermouth pairing reminded me of the D.J., a drink created at the Detroit Athletic Club where the Last Word was born (in addition, both the D.J. and the Last Word share a resemblance). Overall, the Standish arms was rather smooth and drinkable yet flavorful enough to keep one's attention to the end of the glass.