thug passion

1 1/2 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
1/2 oz Combier Orange Liqueur (Cointreau)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, top with Prosecco (1 1/2 oz Willm Blanc de Blancs), and garnish with 3 dash Angostura (styled with a toothpick pulled through the bitters).

After work two Saturdays ago, I reached for the Brooklyn Bartender for my evening's nightcap. There, I selected the Thug Passion by Tom Dixon at Roberta's that was his tribute to the 1996 Tupac song of that name. The lyrics defined the original sparkling drink as, "Aight, new drink / One part Alizé, one part Cristal / Thug Passion, baby." Here, the Cristal Champagne was swapped for a more affordable bubbly wine, and the fruit-flavored Cognac-based liqueur (although some varieties are vodka based) was changed to Cognac, pineapple juice, and orange liqueur. Indeed, I was drawn in for the combination of pineapple and orange liqueur reminded me of the Hawaiian Room and mid-century other recipes.
The Thug Passion gave forth a pineapple, orange, and cinnamon bouquet to the nose that led into creamy, carbonated wine notes on the sip. Finally, Cognac was joined by orange and pineapple fruit flavors on the swallow.