mercy, mercy

2 oz Gin (Beefeater)
1/2 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Cocchi Americano
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.

Two Saturdays ago, I reached for my new purchase of Clair McLafferty's The Classic & Craft Cocktail Recipe Book after my evening's work shift. There, I was lured in by the Mercy, Mercy crafted by Joseph Schwartz while at Little Branch in Manhattan that reminded me of Charlotte Voisey's Unusual Negroni but more spirit forward and with the addition of aromatic bitters.
The Mercy, Mercy began with an orange aroma that was joined by peach and pine notes. Next, a lightly citrus-driven sip led into gin and a Christmas spice-tinged bitterness on the swallow.