metamorphosis

1 1/2 oz Becherovka Liqueur
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Honey Syrup (1:1)

Shake with ice and double strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Mondays ago, Andrea and I went to Eastern Standard for dinner after my DJing gig. The drink that caught my eye was one of the earliest drinks on the Eastern Standard menu, the Metamorphosis, that was created there back in 2005 or 2006. While I had tasted Andrea's that she ordered in 2007, I had never had one of my own and the recipe has been sorely lacking here. At first I found it curious that the drink was in the "heritage" section of Eastern Standard's menu, but once I remembered that it was a Becherovka instead of gin Bee's Knees, I realized it fit right in. Also in this section was the l'Amerique, their take on the Green Point -- a modern classic that was created about the same time as the Metamorphosis. With a Czech connection of the Becherovka liqueur, the drink was named after Czech-born writer Franz Kafka's best known work.
The Metamophosis that bartender Seth Freidus made for me began with a lemon oil aroma that led into a honey and citrus sip. Instead of juniper and other gin botanicals in the classic Bee's Knees, the swallow here proffered clove, cinnamon, and other spice notes. I could definitely see how the success of converting the Bee's Knees into this tasty beverage using Becherovka also lured the Eastern Standard staff into recently crafting the Kyselý, their spice-driven take on the classic Pisco Sour.