3, 2, 1 contact!

1 1/4 oz Bourbon (Old Grand-Dad 114°)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Grenadine
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass pre-rinsed with pastis (Herbsaint), and garnish with an orange twist.

Two Tuesdays ago, I replaced my empty bottle of Punt e Mes so I could make a recipe that I had spotted in T. Cole Newton's Cocktail Dive Bar called the 3, 2, 1 Contact! The cocktail was created at Twelve Mile Limit as a signature drink for the birthday event held in honor or one of the regulars named Tung. The party's theme was "3, 2, Tung, Contact!", but Cole thought naming the drink that would be too embarrassing to say ("tongue contact") to the bartender which could effect its sales. Grenadine and Punt e Mes was a curious pairing to me, and it only appears three other times on the blog including the Coup d'État and Rome is Burning, but it was the Sazerac treatment was what sold the idea to me.The 3, 2, 1, Contact! launched an orange oil and anise aroma to the nose. Next, grape, berry, and orange notes on the sip reached a Bourbon, bitter herbal, and pomegranate swallow with a licorice finish.