cold blood fashion

1 1/2 oz Bols Genever
3/4 oz Orange Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
1 dash Fee Brothers' Whiskey Barrel Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass containing ice cubes. Top with ~2 oz Notch Saison beer and give a quick stir.

Two Fridays ago, I stopped into Brick and Mortar to catch some of the beer cocktails that were served earlier in the week at the Spin the Bottle event featuring Chris Lohring of Notch Brewing. For a start, I asked bartender Evan Harrison for the Cold Blooded Fashion. Evan explained that the recipe was created by Misty Kalkofen and that he found the drink to be delightfully malty.
The Cold Blooded Fashion began with a bready malt nose along with a hint of orange, and the malt and orange continued on into the carbonated sip. On the swallow, the funk of the saison beer mixed well with the Genever botanical notes, and over time, the cinnamon from the bitters began to build up here as well. As the ice melted, the drink surprisingly got sweeter. Overall, the Genever was a good match to the saison, and I soon recalled a similar pairing in Trina's Starlite Lounge's Word to Your Mom where the Genever was coupled with Pretty Things Jack D'Or Saison.