fall on me

1 1/2 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Martini Gran Lusso)
1/2 oz Oloroso or Amontillado Sherry (Lustau Oloroso)
1/4 oz Benedictine
1/4 oz Apricot Liqueur (Combier)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.

Two Saturdays ago, I recalled my intrigue with the apricot-Benedictine pairing that I discovered through the Silk Road Sour and later tinkered with in the Peruvian Necktie. To build off of the components, the apricot made me think of oxidized sherry (similar to how I paired them in the Queen Anne's Revenge) and the Benedictine pointed me to sweet vermouth and rye to create this Manhattan variant. For a name, I was inspired to name it after a R.E.M. song as I had with the King of Birds (I also named a punch the Johnny Reb Punch after a lyric from Swan Swan H.; that recipe only appears on my Instagram), and the song "Fall on Me" started playing my head.
The Fall on Me reached the nose with an orange and grape aroma. Next, grape and orchard fruit notes mingled on the sip, and the swallow provided rye, nutty, and apricot-herbal flavors. Overall, the mix was somewhat like a Slope mashed up with a Preakness.