pyre of minerva

2 oz Laphroaig 10 Year Scotch
3/8 oz Velvet Falernum
3/8 oz Fernet Branca
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a lemon twist.Two Thursdays ago, I was perusing an online recipe flashcard set for Polite Provisions when I spotted the Pyre of Minerva. I then realized that Jacob Mentel had posted it in a comment on my blog after I mentioned that I had been looking for a recipe that he alluded to on a Bartender At Large episode, and when I could not find it, I made a similar drink that I found on Kindred Cocktails called the Velvet Smoking Jacket with mezcal. The drink that Jacob based it on at Wormwood in San Diego was a less bitter one called Fatherly Advice as an Old Fashioned of 2 ounces of Laphroaig sweetened by a half ounce of falernum. Once prepared, the Pyre of Minerva lit up with lemon, peat smoke, and bitter herbal aromas. Next, a semi-sweet sip with a hint of caramel ignited into smoky Scotch, minty, herbal, and clove flavors on the swallow.