haji sling

20 mL Angostura Bitters (3/4 oz)
20 mL Cherry Heering (3/4 oz)
20 mL Benedictine (3/4 oz)
20 mL Lime Juice (3/4 oz)
12.5 mL Orgeat (1/2 oz BG Reynolds)

Shake with ice and strain into an ice-filled Highball glass. Float a rum of your choice (1/2 oz Plantation 5 Year Barbados), and garnish with a cherry and lime wheel.

Two Wednesdays ago, I decided to make a drink that I had spotted in Gary Regan's 101 Best New Cocktails series called the Haji Sling. Ian Loh created this recipe at Helvetica in Perth, Australia, as an Angostura-based Singapore Sling riff. He dubbed the libation after the "quirky" Haji Laneway in Singapore. With Angostura-heavy Tiki-like drinks such as the Stormy Mai Tai and the Trinidad Sour being so tasty, I was quite excited to see the results here.
The Haji Sling donated lime and caramel rum notes to the nose. The sip was dry and woody from the Angostura Bitters and cherry from the Heering, and the swallow began with herbal and almond notes and ended with a lime, clove, and allspice finish.