little red lion

1/2 oz Raspberry Purée
1 oz Simple Syrup 1:1 (Jaggery Syrup)
3/4 oz Amber Rum (Appleton V/X)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain.

After the Whirlpool Julep, I decided to make one of the Angostura 2011 Competition recipes that had me intrigued. Local hero Ezra Star of Drink was amongst the seven finalists, and one of her two cocktails was called the Little Red Lion. The drink was not a variation of the Red Lion itself, but it appeared to be more of a variation on Jerry Thomas' White Lion from 1862:

White Lion
• 1 tsp Sugar
• Juice of 1/2 Lime (include rind in mixing glass)
• 1 wineglass Santa Cruz Rum (2 oz)
• 1 tsp Curaçao
• 1 tsp Raspberry Syrup
Mix well, chill with shaved ice, and garnish with berries in season.

Despite the raspberry making Ezra's drink red to begin with, the addition of a healthy slug of Angostura surely intensified things.
The Little Red Lion began with raspberry and cherry notes from the purée and Angostura Bitters, respectively. The tart sip offered up raspberry, lemon, and rum flavors, and the dry swallow contained a bounty of spice notes including cinnamon and clove from the bitters with perhaps a lingering raspberry flavor on the otherwise clean finish. Despite the ounce of simple syrup, the Little Red Lion was more on the tart and dry side. Overall, the drink was pleasantly quirky and balanced, and the raspberry took the drink away from being dominated by the Angostura.