brandy scaffa

1 oz Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac
3/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse

Stir without ice in a coupe glass.

After the Biter at Green Street, I spotted the Brandy Scaffa and decided I needed to have this again. I explained to bartender Derric Crothers that the previous times I had this menu item made for me, it had been stirred with ice and strained; however, Scaffas are generally served room temperature. With the Sir Francis Drake Special still fresh in my head, I wanted to give the Brandy Scaffa another go. Derric could not argue with my logic or my request that he do less work in preparing the drink.
The Maraschino and Green Chartreuse combined in the nose to create an aroma that was different from either ingredient alone. The sip presented mostly the Cognac notes, and the swallow proffered the Chartreuse's sharp herbal flavors followed by a Maraschino finish. With the waterized version, I recalled the drink a lot sweeter. Here, the liqueurs' sweetness was countered by the undiluted alcohol content of all of the spirits involved, such that neither the proof nor the sugar content were jarring.