salt & stone

1 3/4 oz Cinzano Sweet Vermouth
1 oz McKenna Bourbon
1/4 oz Braulio
1 pinch Salt

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass.
For a second drink at Kirkland Tap & Trotter, I asked Kenny Belanger for the Salt & Stone from their menu. Kenny described how this was created by bartender Tyler Wang before he left to set up the new Audabon in Boston. Once prepared, the Salt & Stone presented Braulio's herbal aromas to the nose. A muted grape flavor was perhaps modified by the salt; the salt also assisted in donating a savory aspect to the drink. Next, the swallow began with the whiskey and ended with a gentle herbal finish. While I expected something akin to the Fanciulli from The Old Waldorf Astoria Bar Book (2 parts Bourbon, 1 part sweet vermouth, 1 part Fernet-Branca) from the ingredients list, the salt helped to push the drink more into the Inverse Manhattan realm.