beverly pickup

1 oz Cognac (Pierre Ferrand Ambre)
1 oz Dubonnet
1 oz Dry Sherry (La Garrocha Amontillado)

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

Two Thursday ago, I selected Ted Saucier's Bottoms Up for the evening's libation. There, I spotted the Beverly Pickup attributed to the Beverly Country Club in New Orleans. I was curious about the club, and the first article that I found had the title, "Remembering The Beverly, a mob-run playground in Jefferson Parish," so immediately I was intrigued. This illegal yet elegant casino ran from 1945 through 1962 when it became a dinner theater until it burned down in 1983. Mobsters drinking sherry and Dubonnet? Epic if true, but not so far fetched if owner Phil Kastel lived up to his nickname of "Dandy."The Beverly Pickup welcomed the senses with a lemon, Cognac, and plum aroma. Next, grape and red fruit notes on the sip gave way to Cognac, nutty, and light herbal flavors on the swallow.