trans-am

1 oz Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy
1 oz Old Overholt Bonded (1 1/4 oz Old Overholt 80°)
1/4 oz Benedictine (1/2 oz) (see text))
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.

Two Thursdays ago, I decided to make a drink that I had spotted in bartender Timothy Miner's Instagram called the Trans-Am. When questioned, he mentioned that the recipe was an American Trilogy with Benedictine and Angostura instead of maple syrup and orange bitters. My recipe search uncovered that the American Trilogy has 1/2 oz maple (2 parts maple:1 part water), so I went with that volume of liqueur; after I made it, I was later corrected that the Trans-Am has 1/4 oz Benedictine, but 1/2 oz worked well to my palate akin to Death & Co.'s Shruff's End. Three days later, I did get around to making the American Trilogy, but I was in a Benedictine mood so I went with the riff first. And that riff was crafted by bartender Dave Nurmi at the Rockwell Place in Brookyln.
The Trans-Am revved up the nose with orange oil and rye-herbal aromas. Next, a caramel sip led into rye, apple, and minty-herbal flavors with an allspice and clove finish.