[west of rome]

1 oz Milagro Tequila
1 oz Lustau Oloroso Sherry
1 oz Zucca Rabarbaro Amaro
1 oz Water

Build in a white wine glass pre-rinsed with absinthe. Stir briefly without ice to mix, and garnish with lemon twist oil. Note: this is a room temperature cocktail.

The libation that I started with at Estragon was one of bartender Sahil Mehta's previous drinks of the day. Sahil mentioned that when he was tinkering with the cocktail, it tasted better when it sat around and warmed up than when it was chilled; therefore, he skipped the ice part and added water to give a similar level of dilution. For a name, I dubbed this one West of Rome after a John Fante novel for it reminded me of one of my agave and absinthe room temperature drinks Ask the Dust.
The drink began with a lemon, anise, and minty aroma that later became more herbal from the Zucca. Next, grape dominated the sip and gave way to an agave and herbal swallow with hints of nuttiness and chocolate that ended with an anise finish.