algiers point

1 oz Cognac (Hennessy VSOP at Work; Courvoisier VS at Home)
1 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
3 dash Peychaud's Bitters
2 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass rinsed with Herbsaint, and garnish with lemon oil from a twist.

Two Thursdays ago, a pair of cocktailians that I know from around town came into River Bar. For their second round, they asked for something herbal like a Green Point, or perhaps something inspired by John Gertsen. So I thought, "Why not both?" Since John was a big fan of Sazeracs and its variations, why not merge a Cognac Sazerac with a Green Point. Gertsen at No. 9 Park was also excited about serving Green Points (except that the house take on it called for Green Chartreuse instead of the standard Yellow), so it all fit into place. I had previously done a similar thing for a Manhattan-themed Mixology Monday post where I took the Manhattan and crossed it with a Sazerac for the Merchants Exchange Manhattan. For a name, I honed in on the "Point" part of the 2005 Milk & Honey neoclassic and dubbed this one after the section of New Orleans on the other side of the Mississippi River, namely Algiers Point.
The guests rather enjoyed the drink and inquired when I had created this drink; they were surprised when they had heard that it was on the fly. When I got home, I recreated the recipe as close as possible with the only notable change being the Cognac brand and age. When I mixed it for myself, the Algiers Point brought lemon oil and anise aromas to the nose. Next, grape and malt on the sip gave way to rye's spice, Cognac's richness, Punt e Mes' bitter, and Yellow Chartreuse's herbal flavors on the swallow with Herbsaint's anise spice on the finish.