fedora 2.1

1 oz Equiano Original Rum
1/2 oz Uncle Nearest 1856 Tennessee Whiskey
1/2 oz Grand Marnier
1/4 oz Vanilla Syrup
3 dash Chocolate Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass, and garnish with an orange twist and a cherry.Two Tuesdays ago, I attended an Uncle Nearest Whiskey and Equiano Rum event at Shore Leave entitled "Cocktails & Stories." For the Equiano part, rum ambassador Ian Burrell was inspired by Tom Bullock's 1917 The Ideal Bartender as the first cocktail book written by a black bartender, and it was a perfect tie in to Black History Month. Ian began by sharing Tom's dedication and part of the introduction in the book that read, "This cocktail will be for those men and women who enjoy to drink in snug club rooms... And if for some reason we are not able to travel, then may they find this recipe and learn the art of preparing for themselves what is good." For a recipe, Ian found the Fedora which I learned as a three ingredient Sidecar (brandy, Bourbon, Jamaican rum). The original in Harry Johnson's 1882 New and Improved Bartender's Manual has a lemon slice included in the shake, and Stan Jones' 1977 Complete Barguide has it as a full ounce of lemon juice; however, Bullock left the lemon aspect out. To the 1917 recipe, Ian utilized Grand Marnier to take the place of both the Curaçao and brandy elements and rounded out the recipe with vanilla and chocolate accents. This Fedora 2.1 began with orange, caramel, and cherry aromas. Next, a caramel sip gave way to rum, whiskey, spice, orange, and vanilla flavors on the swallow.