bondage

3/4 oz Bonded Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
3/4 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
1/2 oz Ginger Liqueur (King's)
1/2 oz Pear Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

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

Later that night after enjoying the Kapuna Kane at the Independent, I found myself desiring another cocktail once dinner was over. For a recipe, I turned to Food & Wine: Cocktails 2012 to see if there were any variations of classic cocktails that I had previously glossed over. The winner was Jonny Raglin's Sidecar riff called Bondage that he crafted at the Comstock Saloon in San Francisco. Besides the two bonded spirits, the name also reflects how a sidecar is linked to and dependent on the motorcycle itself. With the classic's Cointreau swapped for pear and ginger liqueurs and orange bitters, it seemed like it could do no wrong.
The Bondage Cocktail offered a bright lemon oil and apple aroma. The lemon notes continued on into the sip where they mingled with a vague fruitiness perhaps from the pear liqueur. The swallow though started with proof-hot whiskey flavors heading into apple and ginger on the finish.