monte carlos

2 oz Reposado Tequila (Lunazul)
1/2 oz Benedictine
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Sundays ago, I began flipping through A Spot at the Bar by Michael Madrusan and Zara Young. There, I honed in on the Monte Carlos which was Chris Bostick's tequila riff on the whiskey-based Monte Carlo from David Embury's 1948 The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (rye, Benedictine, Angostura Bitters or a Frisco with bitters) that Bostick crafted at Half Step in Austin. Last year, I had enjoyed the Scotch version, the Highlander, from Paul Harrington's 1998 Cocktail: The Drinks Bible for the 21st Century, so I was intrigued especially considering how well agave and Benedictine work together. In the glass, the Monte Carlos wafted lemon, vegetal agave, and allspice aromas to the nose. Next, a lightly caramel sip with a decent mouthfeel from the Benedictine led into tequila, herbal with minty-chocolate accents, clove, and allspice flavors on the swallow.