walking spanish

1 oz Bols Genever
3/4 oz Amontillado Sherry
1/2 oz Cardamaro
1/2 oz St. Germain

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

The drink Andrea started with at Metrovino was one that I had been eying too. Bartender Jacob Grier actually took his inspiration from a Boston-born drink, Stephen Shellenberger's Alto Cucina. I later found on Jacob's blog the origin of the drink's name. He writes, "The name comes from the Tom Waits song, which few customers recognize but I love it when they do. 'Walking Spanish' is used as slang for the prisoner's stoic final walk on Death Row, or more generally for going somewhere unpleasant against one's will." The Spanish origin of the sherry was the tie-in with the name.
The orange twist's oils joined the Genever's malt on the nose. A sweet grape and malt sip was followed by strong nutty sherry notes and subtle St. Germain, Cardamaro, and Genever-derived floral and botanical ones.