north of sunset

1 1/2 oz Gin (Beefeater)
1 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/4 oz Strega
1/4 oz Raspberry Syrup
1 bsp Maraschino (1/8 oz Luxardo)

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

Two Thursdays ago, I was thinking about the flavor combination in Chris Hannah's 'Round Midnight that was published in the 2009 Rogue Cocktails. I lifted the Strega, raspberry, and Maraschino trio, altered their ratios, and utilized it as a sweetener in a Dry Martini. The raspberry syrup made me think of the dry vermouth version of the Clover Club, and that set up the gin and dry vermouth base. For a name, I kept the Thelonius Monk theme of the Hannah's drink (I assume it was this since he is a big jazz fan) and named this one the North of Sunset especially given the splendid sunset I had witnessed an hour or two before (even though the song is about the boulevard in Los Angeles).
The North of Sunset played a lemon, red fruit, and juniper melody to the nose. Next, a semi-dry red berry and white wine sip transitioned to gin, star anise, nutty Maraschino, and vanilla flavors on the swallow.