my triumphs, my mistakes

2 oz Great King Street Blended Scotch
3/4 oz Russo Nocino
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Batavia Arrack
1 dash Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Twist an orange peel over the top.

For my next libation at Russell House Tavern, I requested the My Triumphs, My Mistakes from bartender Kelley. Kelley mentioned that it was bar manager Sam Gabrielli's creation, and I was lured in since Scotch and walnut liqueur have worked so well together before such as in Misty Kalkofen's Sentimental Gentleman and Trina's Starlite Lounge's Expatriot. I learned more about the drink in the most recent issue of the Weekly Dig in an article about geeky Comic Con-appropriate cocktails around town. Sam riffed on the Scotch classic, the Godfather, and named his recipe after "Gaius Baltar's manifesto written during the third season of the 2004 Battlestar Galactica series." I am impressed that Sam can hold his own against previous bar manager Aaron Butler who went with a Star Trek obscurity in the Kobayashi Maru a year and a half ago.
The My Triumphs, My Mistakes presented orange oil accents over a rich dark aroma; this combination reminded Andrea of Coca Cola. Next, a caramel sip led into Scotch and Batavia Arrack on the beginning of the swallow and walnut and Cynar's bitter herbal notes at the end.