dame en rouge

2 oz Maurin Red Vermouth
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass containing 2 oz soda water. Fill with crushed ice and garnish with a mint sprig and a lime wedge and cherry flag.
Two Mondays ago, Andrea and I made the pilgrimage north to Woburn to have dinner at the Baldwin Bar at Sichuan Garden II. For a starter, I asked bartender Vannaluck Hongthong for the Dame En Rouge since it seemed like the perfect aperitif. Van described how this was Ran Duan's creation using the rather flavorful sweet vermouth from Maurin, and the name seemed to be a tribute to a 1935 Barbara Stanwyck film. Once prepared, the garnishes delivered pleasing mint and lime notes to the nose. Next, a carbonated grape and lime sip akin to the Fig Leaf Cocktail led into a rather herbal swallow from the vermouth's botanicals.