son of man

1 1/2 oz Calvados (Boulard VSOP)
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Galliano
1/2 oz Cynar
1 dash Bittermens Boston Bittahs

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Fridays ago, I decided to make a recipe that came by way of Matthew Schrage who bartends at the Blue Room in Cambridge. He had created an herbal Calvados recipe and needed assistance with the name, so he emailed me the details. Since I know that Matt has an interest in Dadaist and Surrealists from discussing the Hugo Ball with him, I decided to run with the apple idea and name the drink after surrealist René Magritte's self-portrait Le fils de l'homme (the Son of Man).
The Son of Man proffered a minty aroma from the Amaro Montenegro and vanilla and star anise notes from the Galliano. A lightly fruity sip shared apple and vanilla flavors. Most of the fruit though came through on the swallow as a barrel-aged apple that was spiced by herbal flavors from the liqueurs. Moreover, the Galliano contributed greatly to the finish with lingering vanilla and star anise notes. Surprisingly, the Cynar was less noticeable in the mix; perhaps it worked to accentuate Amaro Montenegro's mintiness.