holiday in the sun

1 oz Blended Scotch (1 oz Famous Grouse + 1 bsp Laphroaig 10 Year)
1 oz Averna Amaro
1/4 oz Pastis (Pastis d'Autrefois)
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
1/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 pinch Salt

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass, fill with crushed (cracked) ice, and garnish with a lemon wheel (omit) and a cinnamon stick.

After the Pisco Punch, I decided to continue on with the pineapple theme with a recipe that I had bookmarked on ShakeStir. That drink was the Holiday in the Sun by Brian Dressel then of Austin, Texas, and now bartending in Athens, Georgia. Besides being drawn in by the quirky Tiki-inspired combination, the drink's name reminded me of a Sex Pistols song. I soon realized that the song title is plural as "Holidays," so perhaps it was inspired by the 2001 movie starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen? Regardless, Brian described the concept as, "Drawing inspiration from both classic Tiki drinks (pineapple, anise, aromatic spice) and holiday flavors (smoke, baking spice, orange peel), the 'Holiday in the Sun' is for those of us who choose to (or may wish to) spend our winter holidays in somewhere a bit more tropical." Regardless of the fact that we were in the middle of a heat wave, I committed to making the drink in August.
The Holiday in the Sun welcomed the nose with a cinnamon and anise bouquet. Next, caramel from the Averna danced with the pineapple on the sip, and the swallow offered smoky Scotch accented by herbal notes. Indeed, Andrea commented at how well pastis works with Scotch here and in other drinks.