johnny jump up

3/4 oz Morin Selection Calvados
3/4 oz Luxardo Triple Sec
3/4 oz Cocchi Americano
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Pastis

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Wednesday last week, Andrea and I went to Rendezvous for dinner. For my first cocktail, bartender Scott Holliday made me his tribute to spring named after the Johnny Jump Up flower. The plant is native to the Pyrenees which is not too far from where the Calvados in the drink was made; cultivars planted in American gardens eventually escaped and spread throughout much of the United States. Besides the seasonal flower aspect, the name was in part a tribute to Johnny Appleseed, the American Dionysus, who brought cider apple trees westward and in part a nod to the Corpse Reviver in which the drink was based.
The Johnny Jump Up greeted my nose with an apple and lemon aroma that later gained a hint of anise as the drink warmed up. Citrus notes from the lemon and Cocchi Americano filled the sip, and the swallow offered orange liqueur and apple flavors with a light anise note at the end. Overall, I think that the drink reminded me more of an apple Hoop La than a Corpse Reviver #2.