a little taste of cambridge

2 1/4 oz Bacardi 8 Year Rum
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Strawberry Shrub
1/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1 dash Chocolate Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
Midway through my Staghorn cocktail, Andrea met up with me at the Temple Bar. Along with an order for their tasty flatbread pizza, I later asked for the Little Taste of Cambridge. I was drawn to it because of the housemade strawberry shrub, and its pairing with the yellow Chartreuse and chocolate bitters did not hurt either. The drink's name makes reference to A Taste of Cambridge which is one of the major yearly food events in the city, and the Little version precedes the main event to build excitement and publicity for its big brother. Andrea was also drawn to the strawberry shrub for she requested a tall drink made with it:

Vikki's Fizz
• 1 1/2 oz Oxley Gin
• 3/4 oz Strawberry Shrub
• 3/4 oz Lemon Juice
• 1/4 oz St. Germain Liqueur
• 2 dash Bitters
Build in a highball glass filled with ice. Top with sparkling wine, garnish with an orange twist, and add a straw.

The Little Taste of Cambridge's aroma was a combination of the orange oil and the strawberry with a hint of the shrub's vinegar base creeping through. The strawberry joined the lemon on the sip, and the swallow contained the rum followed by a return of the strawberry flavor as it mingled with the chocolate from the bitters on the finish. The Little Taste of Cambridge had a delightful savory aspect to it from the vinegar, and the drink went incredibly well with the pizza which had been drizzled with balsamic.