neighborhood nine

2 1/2 oz Rittenhouse 100 Rye
1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
1/2 oz Aperol
1/4 oz Drambuie
1 dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Twist a lemon peel over the top.

After Russell House Tavern last Sunday, we continued our tour of Harvard Square and went to Temple Bar a little further up Mass Ave. There, bar manager Alex Homans pointed out some of the new drinks on the menu including the Neighborhood Nine, their Manhattan-like tribute to their Cambridge district. Alex described how the owner wanted a whiskey drink like Russell House Tavern's Harvard Yard (Pikesville Rye, Dubonnet Rouge, Benedictine, Allspice Dram) that reflected where the restaurant was located. The end result was a Perfect Manhattan-like drink that had a lighter feel for spring and summer.
The Neighborhood Nine began with lemon oil, Aperol, and some malty whiskey aromas on the nose. At first, the sip was slightly dry and sharp and full of Dolin vermouth notes, and as the drink warmed up, the Aperol began to appear. Next the swallow contained the rye's spice followed by a honey aftertaste; as the drink's chill subsided, the orange notes from the bitters helped to round out the swallow. Indeed, the Neighborhood Nine was a Manhattan variant which possessed an interesting degree of dynamicity as the drink progressed.