the highlander

2 oz Scotch (Cutty Sark Prohibition)
1/2 oz Cherry Heering

Build in an old fashioned glass, add ice, stir to mix and chill, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Tuesdays ago, I reached for Michael and Zara Madrusan's A Spot at the Bar book and came upon the Highlander created by Eric Alperin at the Varnish Bar in Los Angeles. The name reminded me of Paul Harrington's Highlander that was akin to a Scotch Monte Carlo that he published it in his 1998 book Cocktail: The Drinks Bible for the 21st Century (and probably a few years earlier in Wired magazine). I then recalled that Eric's recipe appeared in Robert Simonson's The Old-Fashioned book, and there Eric declared, "[It's] so simple that I thought I couldn't be proud of it, but my guests love to order it."The Highlander reached the senses with a lemon, smoke, and cherry aroma. Next, dark fruit on the sip was conquered by Scotch, black cherry, herbal, and smoke flavors on the swallow.