choke up

1 oz Old Overholt Rye
1 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Demerara Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a small dash of Angostura Bitters.

For my second drink at Backbar, I was curious about the Choke Up with the menu subtitle was "Step up to the plate and try this Whiskey Sour..." Since the Deep Six, a Cynar South Side, and similar cocktails have been such successes, I was definitely looking forward to a whiskey spin on things and requested one from bartender Joe Cammarata.
The Angostura Bitters garnishing the froth provided allspice aromas with a hints of clove. A lemon, caramel, and malt sip led into a rye swallow with a funky vegetal Cynar finish. The rye did provide a solid backbone to the Cynar notes here.