3:20 in the morning

3/4 oz Great King Street Scotch
3/4 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
3/4 oz Drambuie
3/4 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Honey Syrup (1:1)

Shake with ice and strain into a single Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with lemon oil.

While filling my bartender moleskin with recipes to remember and use as inspiration, Jason Schiffer's Michigander caught my attention. Later, I decided to tinker with the four part recipe and expand it a bit. Taking the original's apple brandy base spirit, I added in an equal part of Scotch for I have found that smokey whisky and applejack work rather well together in drinks like Leo Engel's Little Rebel Cocktail. I kept the Cynar and lemon juice in place, but I swapped the honey for Drambuie. It was rather elegant but a touch on the tart side; I upped the sweetness initially with some simple syrup, but honey syrup seemed like a more flavorful option. For a name, I paid tribute to the bar that Jason works at -- 320 Main in Seal Beach, California.
I made this drink again for Tara, our Drambuie rep, when she stopped by Russell House Tavern during my shift on Friday; it was probably closer to 3:20 in the afternoon than the drink name suggests. In exchange for emailing her the recipe, I got her photo to use in return. Indeed, smokey Scotch, apple spirit, bright citrus, darker Cynar, and smooth honey notes worked rather well together.