[boa vista]

1 oz Gin
1 oz Ponche de Tambarina de Santo Antão
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Lime Juice
7-10 Mint Leaves

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a mint sprig and add a straw.

Two Mondays ago, Andrea and I headed over to Pomodoro in Brookline for dinner. For a first drink, bartender Steven Shellenberger wanted to make me a drink with tamarind liqueur from a Cape Verdean producer who he and the bartenders at Clio, such as in their Makahiki Cocktail, have embraced. Steven described the liqueur as containing a good deal of acidity such that it was like a sloe gin with a different tonality. With that, he crafted a sour meets bitter-sweet drink.
The drink's mint garnish provided the aroma that preceded the fruity lime and tamarind sip; interestingly, the sip came across as an almost orange flavor perhaps due to Campari's modifying effects. Finally, the Campari and gin botanicals appeared on the swallow that ended with a mint finish. Overall, I was impressed at how well the tamarind and Campari notes complemented each other here.