expatriate

1 1/2 oz Cocchi Americano
1 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
1/2 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
2 dash Celery Bitters (Homemade)

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass containing a big ice cube. Garnish with an orange twist.
On Friday night before dinner, I decided to make the Expatriate that I had spotted in TastingTable's best cocktails of 2011 article. The recipe was created by Ciaran Wiese, the bar manager at Scott & Co. in Tucson, Arizona, and was described as a "fall-friendly harmony of apéritif wines, applejack and bitters." Since I was a fan of Ciaran's Old New York Cocktail, I was definitely willing to give this one a go. In the drink, the scent of the orange oils from the twist joined the citrussy wine aromas of the Cocchi Americano. The sip was fruit-driven with a combination of apple, citrus, and grape flavors, and the swallow showcased the sherry's nuttiness that came across almost as a cola-like flavor. Finally, the celery notes from the bitters appeared at the end to round off the drink on an slightly more herbal note.