man who left town

2 oz Bulleit Bourbon
3/4 oz Braulio (*)
3/4 oz Byrrh Grand Quinquina
5 dash Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass.
* Originally was Amaro Nonino which would work in a pinch.

One of my favorite drinks at Russell House Tavern as a guest was Victor Pelegrin's A Man About Town. Vic created it as a Boulevardier riff, and it sold rather well on the menu. Bar manager Sam Gabrielli declared that it would remain on the cocktail list as long as Vic was at the bar. Unfortunately for Boston, Vic had to part ways a few months ago for he was starting his family on the West Coast to be closer to family, and Sam kept his word. As a successor to A Man About Town, Sam stuck with the Boulevardier theme and paid tribute to Vic's departure with this elegant cocktail. Originally, the recipe called for Amaro Nonino (besides being served on the rocks and with an orange twist), but with a temporary shortage of Nonino at the bar, a substitution of Braulio was chosen and later was deemed superior.
The Man Who Left town began with Byrrh's grape aroma accented by Braulio's menthol herbalness. A caramel and grape sip was followed by a Bourbon swallow that transitioned into an herbal finish with lingering minty notes. Perhaps due to the Byrrh more than the Braulio, the Man Who Left Town delightfully reminded me more of a Little Italy than a Boulevardier.