contrarian collins

3/4 oz Privateer Gin
3/4 oz Cynar
3/4 oz Simple Syrup
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
2 dash Apricot Liqueur (~1/8 oz)

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass, fill with ice, top with 2 oz soda water, and garnish with a cherry and lemon peel flag.
Two Thursdays ago, I played musical chairs with the other bartenders at work and finally had a night off when the Baldwin & Sons Trading Co. upstairs at Sichuan Garden II was open. For a drink, I asked for the Contrarian Collins as the combination of Cynar, apricot, and lemon worked rather well in the One One Thousand. Once prepared, the Contrarian Collins shared a lemon aroma with darker notes from either the cherry garnish or the Cynar. Next, a carbonated lemon and caramel sip also contained vague fruit notes, and the swallow gave forth gin and bitter apricot flavors.