pulitzer

1 oz Bulleit Rye
1 oz Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth
1 oz Aperol

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

Two Sundays ago, Andrea and I ventured down to Eastern Standard for dinner as there was no home game in the Fenway neighborhood that evening. For my first drink, I asked bartender Josh Taylor for the Pulitzer which recently appeared on the menu. Josh described the drink as something in the 1794, Boulevardier, Contessa, and Negroni family, but when I asked him about the drink's name, he was unsure and told me to consult head bartender Kevin Martin. Kevin described how bar manager Jackson Cannon had always desired to name a drink the Pulitzer; this is not surprising since Jackson grew up in a family of award-winning journalists including his father and his brother. Moreover, Kevin described that when Jackson tried this drink, he declared it was a prize winner! Josh commented how they wanted to use Bulleit Rye, but while it is a spicy whiskey, it is a little thin in relation to other ryes. To bolster this lack of body, they added sweet vermouth and Aperol, accented the drink with orange oil, and the rest is history.
The oils from the citrus twist greeted the nose and prepared the taste buds for the Aperol and vermouth's rhubarb and orange flavors on the sip. While the rye contributed grain flavors on the sip, it was the spice on the swallow that worked rather well in the drink where it combined with the sweet vermouth and Aperol to to conjured up a delightfully tangy note. While I drank the Pulitzer, I spied Drink's Josey Packard and poet Jill McDonough at the corner of the bar with a guest. I later discovered that they were entertaining an actual Pulitzer prize winner as I was serendipitously entertaining my cocktail. And yes, their guest did opt for the same drink as a starting point as well!