father's advice

1 1/2 oz Bacardi Gold Rum
1/2 oz Cardamaro
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Amontillado Sherry
1/4 oz Giffard Banane du Brésil

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist-cherry flag.

Two Tuesdays ago, Andrea and I made use of my night off to visit the Baldwin Bar at Sichuan Garden II in Woburn. There, we were greeted by bartenders Joel Atlas and Charles Coykendall. For a first drink, I asked Joel for "Ran's Banana" which he understood as the cocktail that won the Baldwin Bar's manager Ran Duan the Bacardi Legacy this year! With rum, a pair of bitter-herbal aromatized wines, and fruit notes from sherry and a touch of banana liqueur, I was definitely intrigued. The Father's Advice is not a cheeky banana-laden drink by any means despite my irreverent drink call. The name makes reference to how Ran recently became a father, and his father in turn bestowed upon him the wisdom that the goal of fatherhood is unconditional love and support in order to strengthen the concept of family. In the competition, Ran tied this concept to the Bacardi clan and their familial bonds, and that along with the stunning drink brought home the victory to (Greater) Boston.
In a glass, the Father's Advice began with an orange and cherry aroma that brightened darker herbal notes from some combination of Cardamaro, Punt e Mes, and sherry. The grape elements were rather strong in the sip where merely a hint of banana came through. Finally, the swallow showcased the rum along with the sherry's nutty, the Punt e Mes' complex bitter, and the amaro's herbal flavors.