st. nicholas manhattan

2 oz St. Nicholas Abbey 12 Year Rum (RL Seale 10 Year)
1 oz Cinzano Sweet Vermouth (Martini Grand Lusso)
2 oz Coconut Water
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Mix, chill in the freezer along with a coupe glass, pour into the coupe, and garnish with an orange twist.

Two Tuesdays ago for the cocktail hour, I reached for the Experimental Cocktail Club book and spotted the St. Nicholas Manhattan. This large format batched cocktail (that I adapted for a single serving above) was crafted by Julien "Papa Jules" Gualdoni at the Cliff Restaurant in Barbados. The drink called for a rum from St. Nicholas Abbey which is one of the last rum producers on Barbados that is tied to a functioning plantation instead of purchasing molasses from elsewhere; the historic space was renovated in 2006 and production began again. Since this pot-stilled rum is not only very expensive but hard to source, I figured that my R.L. Seale 10 Year from the other side of the island would be a good substitute (especially since he made that 12 year rum for them at the Four Square Distillery).
This Rum Manhattan riff greeted the nose with orange and grape aromas. Next, grape mingled with the coconut water notes on the sip, and the swallow proffered rum, coconut water's brininess, and the bitters' clove and allspice flavors.