thunder road

1 1/2 oz Appleton Reserve Rum
3/4 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a cherry.

Two Saturdays ago, I browsing the ShakeStir database when I uncovered another split base Manhattan riff to go along with the Rum River Mystic and Miriam's Cup from the two previous nights. That recipe was the Thunder Road by Natalie Jacob circa 2013-14 at Dutch Kills that she named after the Bruce Springsteen song and a Robert Mitchum film. I had previously made a recipe of Natalie from her Dutch Kills days called the Jake Barnes, so I was interested in trying this one out.
The Thunder Road began with a grape, aged rum, and a fruit note from the apple brandy or perhaps the Jamaican rum on the nose. Next, grape and hints of caramel on the sip slid into rum and apple flavors on the swallow with a clove and allspice finish. Overall, the Thunder Road was softer than a Manhattan but less fruity than a Marconi Wireless.