her majesty's pearl

1 1/2 oz White Rum, preferably Rhum Agricole (Vale d' Paul Aguardente Nova de Santo Antão)
1/2 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1/2 oz St. Germain
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
7 drop Rosewater

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.

Thursday last week, I decided to make Her Majesty's Pearl from Food & Wine: Cocktails 2010. The recipe was created by Misty Kalkofen of Drink here in Boston when one of the guests asked for something with a floral note. That guest happened to be Randy Wong who I have written about on this blog for creating Tiki recipes like the Chee Hoo Fizz as well as bartending at Clio. Besides Randy's drink interests, he also leads the exotica band Waitiki 7; Randy asked Misty for this flowery libation to match a ballad, Her Majesty's Pearl, on the Waitiki 7's newest album back then.
Instead of a rhum agricole, I decided to use a Cape Verdean rum that shares a lot of flavor similarities with rhum agricoles given the growing region's volcanic soil and the use of sugar cane juice in the ferment. The Cape Verdean rum also popped into my head for Randy and Clio bar manager Todd Maul are both big fans of this style of rum. The drink began with a St. Germain aroma coupled by the grassiness of the rum; as the drink got warmer, the rose notes began to surface on the nose. The sip proffered the lemon juice along with a vague fruitiness from the St. Germain and perhaps the Cognac. Next, the rum, Cognac's richness, and St. Germain's floral notes appeared on the swallow; the rum, like an agricole, also contributed a slightly sharpness to the finish as well.