sacred monkey forest

2 oz Batavia Arrack (von Oosten)
1/4 oz Fernet Branca
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1/4 oz Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
1/4 oz Demerara Syrup
2 dash Chocolate Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe rinsed with smoky Scotch (Laphroaig 10 Year).

Two Thursdays ago, I was inspired by the Krakatoa that I had at Drink as a patron back in 2008 and that I started making in the past few weeks on the other side of that same bar. That night, I made a first pass at a riff, and I improved it a few days later. To the house classic, I removed the Chartreuse on fire aspect and included the liqueur in the mix. Taking a page from Avery's Arrack-Ari, I added in a smoky Scotch rinse, and from the Banana Toronto, I dosed in some banana liqueur to mingle with the Fernet. For a name, I uncovered the Sacred Monkey Forest which is a park in Indonesia (where Batavia Arrack is made) where one can feed and interact with the monkeys at one's own risk (yes, they do and will bite).The Sacred Monkey Forest began with a peat smoke and herbal nose. Next, caramel and tropical fruit notes on the sip swung into funky rum, bitter herbal, and banana flavors on the swallow.