arrack and a hard place

3/4 oz Batavia Arrack
3/4 oz Smith & Cross Rum
3/4 oz Combier Orange Liqueur
3/4 oz Amaretto
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with 2 dashes Fee's Whiskey Barrel Bitters and add straws.

Two Mondays ago, I wandered down to Brick & Mortar after work to get one more night out before New Years Eve craziness followed by New Years Day closures across town (except for Russell House Tavern since I had to work both days). For a cocktail, bar manager Matthew Schrage suggested that I ask Cristal for the cocktail that she created for the Central Kitchen menu called the Arrack & A Hard Place.
Cristal was more than happy to oblige, and the drink began with a wave of cinnamon aromas from the bitters garnish. The orange and lime citrus notes in the sip were joined by amaretto's almond flavor. Finally, the swallow offered Batavia Arrack and Smith & Cross's funky rum notes that met the amaretto's nuttiness and the lime's crispness on the finish. Given the nuttiness of the amaretto, the recipe did share a resemblance to a Mai Tai although one with a different range of flavors.