love in an elevator

2 oz Ron Zacapa Rum
1/2 oz Pedro Romero Dry Oloroso Sherry
1/2 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1 dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Flame an orange twist over the top.

Two Thursdays ago, we ventured down to Local 149 in Southie for dinner. For cocktail ideas, bartender John Mayer declared that he had two drinks in mind. The first was Love in an Elevator and the second was a companion piece called Death in a Doublewide. Love in an Elevator was created by Matt Whitney, and it sounded like the brown, bitter, and stirred drink that I had been craving.
The orange oils over the drink brightened the caramel aroma of the aged rum. Grape flavors from the oloroso sherry more so than from the Punt e Mes filled the sip, and the swallow showcased the rich rum along with nutty, spice, and bitter notes. As the drink warmed up, it gained additional minty-herbal notes on the swallow from the Benedictine.