butchertown

2 oz Manzanilla Sherry
1/2 oz Bärenjäger Bourbon & Honey (*)
1/2 oz Kümmel

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe rimmed with dried olive powder (was not available at the bar that night). Twist a lemon peel over the top.
(*) Perhaps in a pinch a half ounce of Bourbon and a barspoon of honey syrup would work here.

For my last drink at Estragon, bartender Sahil Mehta wanted to showcase a cocktail that he crafted for a Bärenjäger competition using their Bourbon & Honey product. When I expressed curiosity over the name Bitchertown, Sahil explained that it is a neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky, where German immigrants settled; thus, there was a tie in with the whiskey and the German origin of the liqueur. Normally, the drink is served with a dried olive powder rim like in the San Luca to bring out the brine and savory notes in the sherry, but the bar was all out of the olive powder. Moreover, the savory notes in the sherry are what made Sahil reach for the spice notes in the kümmel.
The Butchertown greeted the nose with a lemon oil, caraway, and sherry aroma. A honey and grape sip was followed by the wonderful pairing of the manzanilla sherry and kümmel spice. Indeed, Sahil was on the money with that pairing.