it was ritten

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Fernet Branca
1/4 oz Bigallet China-China
2 dash House Clove Bitters (*)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a cherry.
(*) Sub a clove-forward bitters like Angostura or perhaps muddle a clove with the rye (and add a fine strain step).
For a final drink at the Baldwin Bar at Sichuan Garden II, bartender Vannaluck Hongthong went off menu to bring me one of his nightcap creations called It Was Ritten. The name was both a nod to the whiskey as well as tribute to a Nas song (albeit spelled slightly differently) that was roughly in the shape of a Brooklyn. In the glass, the cocktail presented menthol aromas along with darker notes that were almost cherry-like (that later matched the sunken garnish). Next, the sip offered grape, malt, and caramel flavors, and the swallow began with rye and bitter orange elements and ended with menthol and clove spice.