aston martin

1 1/2 oz Dry Sherry (3/4 oz Lustau Dry Amontillado, 3/4 oz Lustau Dry Oloroso)
3/4 oz Dry Gin (Cascade Mountain)
1/2 oz Benedictine

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Wednesdays ago, I was reading the May/June issue of Imbibe magazine and spotted the Aston Martin. The drink was created by San Francisco's Nopa bar manager Yanni Kehagiaras, and it drew me in with its aperitif-like style. Yanni based the drink off of the Rolls Royce Cocktail which I have not had, but the basic premise reminded me of the Stephen's Cocktail which we quaffed last year.
The Aston Martin greeted me with a fresh lemon oil scent that balanced the sherry's nutty aroma. The sip was grape from the sherry and somewhat dry, and the sherry notes continued in the swallow as a nuttiness that accompanied the Benedictine's spice. Moreover, the Benedictine lingered on as an aftertaste along with the gin notes. I quite enjoyed how the Benedictine complemented the predominant sherry flavor, and the gin functioned well to add a little backbone to the drink. Overall, the Aston Martin had a rather light feel for it was more than half sherry and could function as either an aperitif or as nightcap when a full strength drink would be too much.