ciudad vieja

1 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
3/4 oz Dry Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)
1/2 oz Zacapa 23 Year Rum
1/4 oz Benedictine
2 dash Creole Bitters (Peychaud's)

Build in a Double Old Fashioned glass. Stir with ice until well chilled and garnish with a lemon twist.

After returning home from No. 9 Park, I was in the mood for a nightcap. The drink that came to mind was the Ciudad Vieja that Gaz Regan had just written about as part of the teaser series for his 101 Best New Cocktails: 2013 book. The Ciudad Vieja was created by Alex Negranza of Seattle's Liberty Bar, and he based it off of a Vieux Carré. He crafted it for a customer who loves Sazeracs but wanted something more aggressive. With the inclusion of dark, aged rum, it seemed like the perfect end of the evening libation.
The lemon oil from the twist joined the dark notes from the rum and perhaps some from the Benedictine. On the tongue, an apple and caramel sip gave way to a rum and orange swallow that shared pleasant herbal and spice notes.