the french connection

1 1/2 oz Baldwin Bar's Private Cask of Plantation Trinidad 2009 Rum
1 oz Pierre Ferrand Premier Cru Cognac
1 tsp Lustau East India Solera Sherry
1 tsp Crème de Banana
1 tsp Gomme Syrup
2 dash "Tango Bitters" (1 dash each Bittermens Tiki and Angostura)

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with ice, and garnish with 2 lemon twists. Note: the three 1 tsp ingredients were equal parts in a 1/2 oz pour of the mix (and in a previous version were 1/4 oz each).
The cocktail that Andrea selected at the Baldwin Bar two Sundays ago was the French Connection that featured the bar's recent purchase of a barrel's worth of Plantation 2009 Trinidad Rum. While Trinidad is not a French island, Plantation Rums are part of the Pierre Ferrand Cognac house, and their brandy made up the other large percentage of the Old Fashioned-like drink. Once prepared, the French Connection smuggled Cognac and rum aromas underneath the lemon oil notes from the twists. Next, caramel and grape on the sip transitioned into rum and brandy flavors on the swallow with light banana and spice accents.