perfect pal

1 oz Old Overholt Rye (Rittenhouse 100)
1/2 oz Cinzano Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
1 oz Aperol
2 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

After the Jimador Re-animador, we decided to revisit one of the older drinks from the Independent in Somerville called the Perfect Pal. As a softer take on the classic Old Pal (rye, Campari, dry vermouth), this whiskey drink was quite pleasing then as well as now, yet my drinking it at the Independent pre-dated my work on the blog. I am not sure if the drink was created by Evan Harrison, but I believe it dates back to when he was working there.
The Perfect Pal presented an apricot-like aroma. The stone fruit notes continued into the sip as the vermouths' grape combined with the Aperol and orange bitters. The rye appeared as a malty sip and barrel-aged notes on the swallow that accompanied a peachy finish. Overall, the combination of flavors reminded me of the 1795 that I had a few years later at Craigie on Main.