king james

1 oz Rum (Stolen Overproof Jamaican)
1 oz Brandy (Camus VS Cognac)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/4 oz Dry Curaçao (Pierre Ferrand)
2 dash Maraschino Liqueur (1/2 bsp Luxardo)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with an orange twist.

Two Wednesdays ago, I returned to Imbibe Magazine to make the King James from Los Angeles' Red Bird. The recipe was Tobin Shea's riff on the East India Cocktail; the East India Cocktail was first published in Harry Johnson's 1882 New and Improved Bartenders Manual and also appeared in Charles H. Baker Jr.'s Jigger, Beaker and Glass: Drinking Around the World. Shea's changes were to split the base of brandy with rum and to remove the pineapple syrup in exchange for a decent helping of sweet vermouth. As for the name, I presume that it was a tribute to the king of England who renewed the East India Company's charter in 1609 (his queen mother would have established the charter before her demise).
The King James presented an orange aroma from the twist's oil and the curaçao over that of rum funk. Next, grape, caramel, and a hint of cherry and orange on the sip gave way to brandy, funky rum, and nutty cherry on the swallow with an orange and spice finish. Overall, this version came across with a Manhattan feel as opposed to the original which had a more Old Fashioned one.