real fancy

1 1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Ambre Cognac
1 oz La Garrocha Amontillado Sherry (*)
1/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/4 oz Raspberry Syrup

Muddle 6-8 leaves of mint in the bottom of a Julep cup. Add rest of ingredients and crushed ice, and stir to mix and chill. Garnish with a strawberry, mint, and a lemon twist, and add a straw.
(*) Usually made with Lustau's amontillado.

Last Thursday, I ventured over to Backbar after my shift at work. For a first libation, I asked bartender Joe Cammarata for a drink of the day from the previous week, the sherry-laden Real Fancy. In essence it was a gussied up Mint Julep, but I wondered if the "fancy" part did not mean its ornateness but a nod to the 19th century cocktails with added curaçao before they were then "improved" with Maraschino and absinthe. Moreover, the idea of sherry-containing Juleps was one that I was familiar with after enjoying the Platonic Julep.
The garnishes played heavily into the Real Fancy's aroma with mint and strawberry being more apparently early and the lemon twist's oil later in the drink's enjoyment. On the palate, a dry grape sip led into a Cognac and mint swallow that ended with an orange and tart raspberry finish.