causeway

1 1/2 oz English Harbor 5 Year Rum
1 oz Senior's Curaçao of Curaçao
1 barspoon Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur (1/8 oz)
4 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with orange oils from a twist.

On Friday afternoon at Tales, wedged between my "Who's Your Daddy? A Mai Tai Paternity Test" and "David Embury and The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks" talks was an event I was looking forward to. It was Anchor Distilling Company's tasting room entitled "The Boston Cocktail Experience." There I would have the chance to have eight of the bartenders who serve me cocktails in Boston serve me drinks in New Orleans using Anchor/Preiss Imports' portfolio. When I walked up to Ben Sandrof's table, I felt flattered at he reached over and grabbed an extra printout of the recipes; he explained as he handed it to me that he knew that I was coming. That is one of the many ways Boston bartenders have made me feel welcomed in the cocktail community, and it certainly made my job easier as I explored the room in the time before my next seminar. "Footloose and fancy freelancer" was how Ben was described for he no longer regularly tends bar save for his low-key Sunday Saloon speakeasy events. Sandrof's drink was called the Causeway which he described as either a name for a road near the water or for a means to an end. Apparently it was not named after the Boston rock club near North Station, but it was worth asking (at the time I was thinking of the Channel Club which was located near his previous bar, Drink in Fort Point, resides today). With the nautical theme of the English Harbor Rum, the road along the water seemed to match up perfectly.

The twist over the Causeway provided orange oils that worked well with the rum's caramel aroma. Similarly, the sip was rich with the rum's aged molasses notes along with the Curaçao's orange flavors. The rum continued on in the swallow where it interacted with the Angostura Bitters' spice and the Maraschino' funky notes to round out the drink. Overall, the Causeway had a classic feel to it and reminded me of the Fancy Rum Cocktail.

El Camino
• 2 1/2 oz Chinaco Reposado Tequila
• 1/2 oz D'Aristi Xtabentún Honey Liqueur
• 2 eye droppers Bittermens Mole Bitters
Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass.

Speaking of a classic feel, I also wanted to mention the drink of Trina Sturm of Trina's Starlight Lounge. Her El Camino utilized an interesting Yucatán honey and anise-flavored liqueur called Xtabentún. Although it is fortified with rum instead of tequila, the end result was very much in line with a Mexican Rusty Nail, albeit one with some extra anise and chocolate notes instead of heather and peat ones in the Scotch-Drambuie version.