blues from a gun

1 1/2 oz Blended Whsiky (Suntory Toki at work, Famous Grouse Scotch at home)
1/2 oz Laphroaig Scotch
3/8 oz Yellow Chartreuse (*)
3/8 oz Benedictine (*)
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters
10 drop Absinthe (Kübler)

At work: build in a double old fashioned glass, add a large ice cube, stir to mix and chill, and garnish with lemon oil from a twist. At home: stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with fresh ice, and garnish with a lemon twist.
(*) For a slightly sweeter drink, I have used 1/2 oz of each liqueur for a total of 1 oz; however, a total of 3/4 oz seems to make most folks happy.

At Drink, there can frequently be a bigger call for Old Fashioned variations than for Manhattan riffs. Sadly, I know more Manhattan ones for the structure allows for more adaptations including the fortified wine component. This is one that I crafted on the fly for a guest who wanted a Scotch Old Fashioned, and I repeated for multiple guests over the following weeks. The liqueur combination of Yellow Chartreuse-Benedictine is one that has worked since 1895 in the Widow's Kiss from George Kappeler's Modern American Drinks and the Colleen Bawn from Edward Spencer's The Flowing Bowl. Eventually, guests began to want a name, so I decided to make myself one at home two Tuesdays ago. I ended up dubbing this Blues from a Gun after a song from the Scottish rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain.Once assembled, the Blues from a Gun shot forth with a lemon and peat smoke aroma. Next, a malty and semi-sweet sip tracked into Scotch, herbal, and minty chocolate flavors on the swallow with a peat smoke and anise finish.