fifth gear

1 oz Powers Irish Whiskey (Teeling Small Batch)
1 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Malmsey Madeira (Blandy's 5 Year Verdelho)
1/2 oz Crème de Cacao (Tempus Fugit)
1/2 tsp Giffard Crème de Banane (1 bsp)
1 dash Absinthe (1/2 bsp Butterfly)
1 pinch Salt

Stir with ice, strain into a Double Old Fashioned glass with a large cube, and garnish with orange oil.
Two Sundays ago, I had compiled a list of drinks from Redbook's 50 Best Cocktails in America article and decided to start with Jesse Vida's Fifth Gear that he created at the Dead Rabbit in Manhattan. Once built, the Fifth Gear generated an orange aroma that led into a grape and orange sip that later offered malt and roasty notes from the whiskey and cacao. Next, the swallow shared whiskey and chocolate flavors with a banana and anise finish; as the ice melted, the swallow became more chocolate and absinthe driven.