hallelujah

1 oz Brandy (Pedro Domecq Fundador Solera Reserva)
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Dolin)
1/2 oz Aged Rhum Agricole (Vale d'Paul)
1 tsp Lime Juice
1 tsp Grenadine
2 dash Angostura Bitters
2 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Two Saturdays ago, I opened up the new May/June issue of Imbibe Magazine and spotted the Hallelujah presented by Thad Vogler of Trou Normand in San Francisco. Thad adapted a 1929 recipe from Charles H. Baker Jr.'s The Gentleman's Companion that Baker acquired from his friend Max Bilgray of Colon, Panama, who owned the Tropic Bar and Cabaret. At Bar Agricole, Thad utilized Armagnac as the brandy instead of the original's Cognac. Using Spanish brandy here (a decision I made before I knew the Armagnac and Cognac options of the adaptation and the original, respectively), the Hallelujah proffered lemon aromas over barrel-aged caramel brandy notes. On the tongue, a grape tinged sip was accented by lime and pomegranate flavors, and the swallow began with brandy and grassy rums and ended with an orange and spice finish.