bonnie & clyde

1 1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac
1/2 oz Lustau Amontillado Sherry
1/2 oz Byrrh Grand Quinquina
1/2 oz Benedictine
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass.
(*) Note that the tasting notes were made with a slightly different recipe (1 oz each Cognac and sherry, 1/2 oz each Byrrh and Benedictine, no bitters), but the above is the proper recipe. I was told not to be mad at Schrage for the mix up.

Two Sundays ago, we ventured over to Brick & Mortar where Matthew Schrage and Lea Madda were tending the bar. For a first drink, Matt suggested that I try a new drink created by Cory Buono that had not hit the menu yet. Besides the winning sherry and Benedictine ingredients, I was curious if they could tame Byrrh into a cocktail ingredient. In conversation, it became more unclear whether the drink was a tribute to the two famed gunmen or to the song performed by Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot in their honor.
The Bonnie & Clyde, as it was made for me, began with a dark grape and Cognac aroma that later became more chocolatey. A sweet cherry and grape sip gave way to a Cognac swallow with a nutty and herbal finish. Indeed, the Byrrh worked well here as it was tamed and modified by the sherry and perhaps other ingredients.