cyanara

2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
2 leaf Basil
5 leaf Mint

Shake with ice and double strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with a lime twist.
For a nightcap at Sichuan Garden 2, Ran Duan made us a low proof herbal number using Cynar. The Cyanara was another drink created by Ran's friend Joe Hines, a bartender at William & Graham in Denver. With the basil and lime juice, the concept reminded me of a Cynar-for-Green Chartreuse version of Ben Sandrof's Silent Order. The lime twist's aroma prepared the mouth for the citrus sip. Of the muddled herbs, the basil was the strongest and it paired rather well with the Cynar on the swallow.