love & fear

1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Pineapple Syrup (*)
1 barspoon Fernet Branca

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Twist a lemon peel over the top.
(*) West Bridge's pineapple syrup contains orange zest and clove besides the pineapple and sugar.

After our trip to the Blue Room, we crossed the courtyard and paid bar manager Josh Taylor a visit at West Bridge. While looking over the menu, I was able to narrow down my pick to three choices, and Josh recommended that I try the Love & Fear from that short list. I was definitely curious to see if the pineapple-Fernet pairing worked here as well as it had in the Velvet Goldmine, Agave Maria, Fernet Fix, and other drinks.
The Love & Fear proffered a lemon oil and fruity aroma from the pineapple syrup and Aperol. The lemon and Aperol flavors filled the sip, and the pineapple swallow ended with herbal and spice elements from the gin botanicals, Fernet Branca, and clove. Just as Josh had suggested, the barspoon of Fernet worked rather well to dry out the drink on the finish. Moreover, as the drink warmed up, it acquired more pineapple notes on the nose and a touch more gin on the swallow.