historic core cocktail

1 oz Bonded Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
3/4 oz Bonded Apple Brandy (Laird's)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a lemon twist.
In searching for a nightcap two Saturday nights ago, I ventured into my Food & Wine: Cocktails section of the drink book library and selected the 2011 edition. There, I was drawn to John Coltharp's Historic Core Cocktail that also appeared in Left Coast Libations in 2010. The Food & Wine book provided the history that John created this recipe for a 2008 contest for drinks named after downtown Los Angeles sub-districts, and the Historic Core was the one that he lived in at the time. The Left Coast Libations recipe varies somewhat from the above for it is:

Historic Core Cocktail (Left Coast Libations)
• 1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse or Thomas Handy Rye
• 1/2 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
• 1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
• 1/2 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
• 1 generous dash Angostura Bitters
Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Overall, the recipe reminded me a bit of PDT's Harvest Moon with Lillet and Abbott's Bitters in place of the sweet vermouth and Angostura, and perhaps the Swafford with Maraschino instead of vermouth. Once in the glass, the Historic Core proffered a lemon and apple bouquet. Malt and grape on the sip led into rye, apple, and herbal flavors on the swallow with a clove and apple finish.