monk's thistle

2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Water
2 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

For my last drink of the night at Lineage, I ended with a drink bartender Ryan Lotz mentioned before he told me about the Swizzles, namely the Monk's Thistle. The Monk's Thistle's high amaro content intrigued me but it seemed more like a closer than a show opener. Using Ben Sandrof's Silent Order as inspiration, Ryan changed the herbal and citrus part from muddled basil and lime juice to Cynar and orange bitters, respectively. Moreover, Ryan's use of Cynar as a flavor balance made me think of Scott Holliday's Rum Scaffa and perhaps Aaron Butler's Scottish Play.
The Monk's Thistle's orange bitters provided a large proportion of the drink's aroma with some Chartreuse notes entering in as the drink warmed up. Next, the Cynar contributed a rich bitter sip, while Green Chartreuse's flavor shone through on the swallow along with a hint of orange bitters at the end. Surprisingly, with such bitter and sharp ingredients in the mix, the drink was plenty sweet enough; furthermore, the Cynar as well as the water did a great job smoothing out the large green Chartreuse component of the drink.