the upstart

1 oz Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum
3/4 oz Woodford Reserve Rye (Rittenhouse)
3/4 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry
3/4 oz Cynar
1 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass.Two Mondays ago, I returned back to Kindred Cocktails where I spotted The Upstart that had been published in InsideHook. The recipe was crafted by Jim Betz at Eleven Madison Park in Manhattan that he named after the 2015 Derby hopeful. The combination reminded me of the Blossom Bar's Palm Viper and NoMad's Fortune Teller, so I figured that it would be a winner. Here, The Upstart raced to the nose with caramel and vegetal aromas. Next, the sherry's grape mingled with that caramel note on the sip, and swallow came through with rum, rye spice, dark vegetal, and dry fruit flavors.