trainspotter

2 oz Dickel Rye (Rittenhouse Bonded)
3/4 oz St Germain Elderflower Liqueur (St. Elder)
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
1/4 oz Fernet Branca

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

Two Wednesdays ago, I spied the trainspotter on the Kindred Cocktails site as a twist on the Brooklyn named after the 1990s movie. The recipe was crafted by Thomas Newcomb at the Continental Room in Fullerton, California, and was first published in Gaz Regan's 101 Best New Cocktails: 2013 book. Overall, the combination reminded me at first of the Heather in Queue, and the cherry liqueur-Fernet duo was one that has worked in drinks since the early 1900s in the Pinto and more recently in Murray Stenson's Porteño and Misty Kalkofen's Darkness til Dawn.The Trainspotter showcased a grapefruit aroma from the twist, floral notes from the elderflower, and darker notes from the Heering on the nose. Next, a dark fruit-laden sip slipped into rye, grapefruit, floral, and menthol flavors on the swallow.