1771

1 oz Citadelle Gin
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Curaçao
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Rhubarb Syrup (see recipe)
2 pod Cardamom
1 dash Orange Bitters

Muddle the cardamom pods with the bitters. Add the rest of the ingredients and ice, shake, and double strain into a cocktail glass. Top with 1 oz Louis Bouillot dry sparkling wine.

For my last cocktail at Bergamot, bartender Paul Manzelli suggested something that Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli had created at Craigie on Main called the 1771. The name refers to the year that the Citadelle Gin recipe was developed in Dunkirk, England. Moreover, the 1771's cardamom muddled in orange bitters as well as the sparkling wine reminded me of the Straits of Messina at Island Creek Oyster Bar, and I would not be surprised if Tommy played some role in that drink's genesis too.
The 1771 shared a bright orange and rhubarb aroma with a bit of cardamon spice. The sparkling wine on the sip joined the crispness of the citrus, and the swallow offered the gin and rhubarb flavors along with a bitter finish from the cardamom.