bitter nail

1 1/2 oz Great King Street Scotch
1/2 oz Drambuie
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Campari

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.

Two Tuesdays ago, we ventured over to Ames Street for a drink. I requested the Bitter Nail that was described on the menu as a "riff on the classic Rusty," and bartender Sam Cronin described how it was created by Iruma Shibuya before he left to bartend in Japan. In the glass, the Bitter Nail presented a smoky Scotch aroma with a hint of Campari. Honey on the sip was joined by Cynar's caramel and the whisky's malt, and the swallow offered smoky Scotch with a lingering bitter finish. Overall, I was impressed at how well the Cynar bridged the gap between the Scotch and the Campari perhaps by smoothing over the Campari as it did in the Negroni Tredici. This combination was also very similar to Maksym Pazuniak's Barefoot in the Dark with Swedish punsch in place of the Bitter Nail's Drambuie.
Little did I know that the Ames Street would close a mere week after having this drink; last Tuesday, a friend posted on her Instagram a photo of a sign on Ames Street's door that it was closed until further notice, and the following day Boston Magazine announced the closure. So may we all raise a glass -- in one aspect, it is a bitter nail to chew on, but on the other side of things, let us toast all of the interesting ways Ames Street approached menu layout and design (see the cocktail matrix above) as well as drink creation. Cheers!