bootlegger

2 oz Templeton Rye
1 bsp Luxardo Cherry Syrup (1/8 oz)
1 bsp Vanilla Gomme Syrup (1/8 oz Vanilla Syrup)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a cherry.Two Fridays ago, I was perusing the Hawthorne bar bible for a nightcap. There, I came upon the Bootlegger created by Nicole Lebedevitch perhaps sometime between the bar's open in 2011 and her departure to Lincoln and then Yvonne's in 2015 (although there is a chance that she created it at Eastern Standard before that time period). This Old Fashioned was dubbed "American gangster" on the menu which was a nod to Templeton Rye's marketing claims about its past, and it seemed to make good use of the syrup left over after dolling out Luxardo cherries for garnishes as she did with the Fino Swizzle. Here, the Bootlegger snuck a cherry, vanilla, and caramel aroma to the nose. Next, dark fruit and caramel notes on the sip hid behind Bourbon, cherry, vanilla, allspice, and clove flavors on the swallow.