mad monk fizz

1 oz Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur
1 oz Fighting Cock Bourbon
1 oz Old Monk Rum
1/2 oz Tahitian Vanilla Bean Syrup
1 Egg

Shake once without ice and once with. Strain into a Highball glass topped with ~2 oz Old Rasputin Imperial Stout. Garnish with freshly ground pink peppercorns and add a straw.

For the show closer on Tuesday night at No. 9 Park, bartender Ted Kilpatrick made me the Mad Monk Fizz. While I first thought that the drink was named after the Old Monk Rum component, Ted explained that it actually referred more to the beer and the rum choice followed. Indeed, the Old Rasputin Imperial Stout was named after the Russian mystic who had often been called the Mad Monk. The concept for the drink started with Zirbenz liqueur and its pine notes led to the inclusion of hops in the drink which in turn made Ted think of the pepper garnish. This was not the first egg (or egg white) and beer combination I have had at No. 9 Park; the last one was Ted's spin on the Morning Glory Fizz. With Grigori Rasputin historically known as a healer, perhaps the Mad Monk Fizz would make a great recuperative like the Morning Glory Fizz was created to be.
The Mad Monk Fizz's nose was rather dark and rich from the rum and stout. The aroma set up the sip rather well for it contained robust caramel and malt flavors. Following this smooth sip was a swallow spiced by the stone pine liqueur and the beer's hops. While I was impressed at how the Zirbenz and hops paired up, I was also pleased at how the egg, vanilla syrup, and other ingredients toned down the intensity of the Zirbenz which can frequently dominate a drink's flavor profile.