[camellia]

2 oz Amontillado Sherry
3/4 oz Benedictine
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Absinthe

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.

A few Mondays ago, we ventured down to the South End to have dinner at Estragon. There, I asked bartender Sahil Mehta for his drink of the day that he posted on Twitter and Instagram as the sherry and Benedictine combination seemed alluring. The recipe itself later reminded me of Bergamot's citrussy riff on the Chrysanthemum called the Calla Lily. Given that concept, I dubbed this drink another 'C' flower name, the Camellia, which we have grown a variety or two of here at home.
The Camellia offered a floral-herbal aroma from the absinthe and a bright citrus note from the lemon twist. The lemon and grape combined on the sip, and the swallow presented a nutty and herbal swallow with an anise spice finish. The sherry here did take the drink in a different direction than the Calla Lily, but it was equally as light and aperitif-like.