martinique

2/3 Rye (1 1/2 oz Sazerac 6 Year)
1 dash Orgeat (1/4 oz BG Reynolds)
1 dash Pineapple Juice (1/4 oz)
1 dash Absinthe (1/8 oz Kübler)
1/3 Sweet Vermouth (3/4 oz Vya)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Last Friday, I decided to make the Martinique, a quirky drink I had spotted in Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933. With its name, I would a priori expect a rum drink; however, this was primarily a rye and sweet vermouth-based libation. With additions of orgeat, pineapple juice, and absinthe, the Martinique was instead a tropical Manhattan. The absinthe's anise greeted the nose, and the fruity sip offered up grape and pineapple flavors. The rye and orgeat began the swallow that was capped off by the absinthe's herbal notes on the aftertaste. While I was familiar with how well pineapple and absinthe can work in drinks, I was additionally impressed with the orgeat and rye pairing. Looking back in my notes, I had another similar drink during the Pernod Absinthe Bar Crawl; Drink's Creole Fizz was akin to a tropical Sazerac with similar rye, pineapple, orgeat, and absinthe notes.