storm cloud

1 1/2 oz Cocchi Americano
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice. Top with soda, add a straw, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.

Two Mondays ago, I decided to check out Tony Maws' sister restaurant to Craigie on Main called Kirkland Tap & Trotter. I heard on social media that they had done their soft opening the week before and read a Tweet that week that the bar was open. What I missed was that I was showing up on opening day, and the place was pretty packed despite me arriving close to the 5pm open. Luckily, bar manager Tyler Wang pointed out a nice column near the service window to lean against that had a rail for drinks. For my first libation, I opted for something light -- an aperitif called the Storm Cloud that sort of reminded me of his Triumph of Pompei that he crafted at No. 9 Park. Since the bar was a few deep at this point, I opted to get my information by email. Tyler explained, "The storm cloud is named after Seth 'Lightning' Moskowitz, Matt 'Thunder' Pearlson, and Diego 'Boom' Torres, and Seth's brother Andrew 'The (thunder) Clap'. It's my first menu I had a couple tributes to make to old friends. But also, with the aggressive nature of the various ingredients it was like a bartenders Highball in the vein of a dark and stormy."
The grapefruit twist's aroma filled the Storm Cloud's bouquet. A carbonated orange, grapefruit, and caramel sip led into a swallow where the Fernet Branca melded with the citrus for a bitter herbal complexity that was light on the menthol.