shrouded roulette

1 1/2 oz Pisco (Encanto)
1/2 oz Salers Gentiane Liqueur
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Rothman & Winter)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Sundays ago, I turned to the Canon Cocktail Book and spotted this curious pisco recipe called the Shrouded Roulette. The name refers to the Canon's bartender's choice that is described on the menu as "Tell us your base spirit, and we'll create the mystery. Every recipe secret and unique." The goal for the shrouded roulette is to never repeat the drink combination twice in a shift which can mean up to a 100 different generated on a busy night. While the other on-the-spot creations in the book have unique names, this one is dubbed after the process. While unique, luckily the staff did not keep it a secret!
The Shrouded Roulette gave forth a bright lemon and apricot aroma that preceded a dry apricot sip. Next, the swallow offered a lot of complexity with an earthy note from the pisco and gentian, a floral element from the pisco, and a clove-spice finish from the bitters. I was quite impressed at how well gentian worked with the apricot liqueur as it had in the only other drink I have experienced with that combination, namely Misty Kalkofen's Human Rocket.