m. and st. l.

1 jigger Old Bourbon (1 oz Fighting Cock)
1 jigger Applejack (1 oz Laird's)
Juice 1/2 Lemon (1/2 oz)
1 barspoon Cointreau (1/2 oz)
(1/4 oz Simple Syrup)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Garnish with an orange twist.

Two Saturdays ago, we began the cocktail hour with a drink, the M. and St. L., from Ted Saucier's Bottoms Up. The recipe was attributed to Lucian C. Sprague who was the chairman of the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway. I had probably skipped over the drink before because the recipe comes off as rather tart; however, I have gotten used to tweaking recipes from my forays into Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933. Therefore, I upped the Cointreau from an eighth of an ounce to a half an ounce. Even with equal parts of lemon juice and orange liqueur, it was still rather tart; perhaps, the aggressive Fighting Cock Bourbon played a roll here. To each drink, I added a quarter ounce of simple syrup which seemed to get the balance in the right ball park.
The M. and St. L.'s orange twist's aroma joined that of the Bourbon. A fruity sip from the apple, lemon, and orange elements was followed by the whiskey with a slightly tart finish. Perhaps, a less aggressive Bourbon and a more assertive apple brandy would have made for a more interesting drink, but it was still an enjoyable Daisy.