swinney park

2 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
1/2 oz Cinnamon Syrup
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
3 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass.

A few Tuesdays ago, I ventured down to Brick & Mortar where Lea Madda and Crystal were bartending. For a first drink, I asked Lea for the Swinney Park. Lea described how Nic Mansur created the drink and Matt Schrage came up with the name; moreover, the name refers to the park in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where Johnny Appleseed is memorialized despite his grave being elsewhere in town. With apple brandy, cinnamon syrup, and lemon juice, the drink seemed like a win; the extra flavor from Peychaud's could not hurt even if Lea insisted that it was there "mostly for the color." Actually, the Peychaud's reminded me of Jackson Cannon's preferred touch to the Jack Rose cocktail.
Indeed, the Peychaud's did donate a pinkish hue to the drink that was reminiscent of apple skins, and the aroma was apple and herbal-spiced from the anise and cinnamon elements. Next, a lemon sip was much more dry than tart and led into an apple, cinnamon, and spice swallow.