[shisha sour]

2 oz Talisker Scotch
3/4 oz Velvet Falernum
1/2 oz Drambuie
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 dropper Bitter Science Ras el Hanout Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

For a second drink at No. 9 Park, bartender Ted Kilpatrick wanted me to try one of his newer creations -- a smokey Scotch drink that was spiced with Ras el Hanout Bitters. Ras el Hanout is a Moroccan spice mix that is used in a lot of North African cooking. While house blends can vary, most contain cardamom, clove, cinnamon, chili, coriander, peppercorn, turmeric, and cumin that perhaps can be similar to the spiced syrup in the Moroccan Old Fashioned that I was served last year. When tasted straight, the bitters had an almost curry-like flavor to them and seemed like they would complement the recipe's falernum rather well.
On the aroma, I detected lemon and Scotch with a hint of spice while Andrea picked up more of the Talisker and the Drambuie's heather. The sip was a honey-lemon Sour that possessed a bit of the Moroccan-style spices. The spices continued on the swallow where the bitters and the falernum's clove punctuated the smokey Scotch. For a name, I dubbed this one the Shisha Sour after the flavored tobacco used in hookah pipes in Morocco as well as other parts of North Africa and the Middle East.