daffodil

2/3 Gin (1 1/2 oz Beefeater)
2 dash Crème Yvette (1/4 oz)
1 dash Yellow Chartreuse (1/8 oz)
2 dash Sherry (1/2 oz Lustau Dry Oloroso)
1 dash Picon (1/8 oz Amer Picon)
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Tuesdays ago, I was in the mood for a nightcap and began turning through the pages of Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933. One of the drinks in the gin section caught my eye for it balanced a trio of floral, herbal, and bitter liqueurs against the dryness of gin and sherry. Technically, a sweeter sherry could be used, but I opted for a dry oloroso to cut back on the liqueurs' sugars.
The Daffodil greeted me with a sherry and berry aroma that was later joined by Crème Yvette's floral notes. The sip was creamy with darker notes from the Picon's orange and the Yvette's berry; part of the way in, the sherry's grape appeared to bolster the sip. The gin, violet flavors, and sherry's nuttiness rounded out the swallow that ended dry and clean save for a lingering juniper note at the end. Overall, the Daffodil had a very fancy feel to it akin to some of the drinks in The Flowing Bowl (although without the floral aspect here being Crème de Rose).