last pontoon

1 1/2 oz Remy Martin 1738 Cognac (Monnet VSOP)
1/4 oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum
1/4 oz Del Maguey Chichicapa Mezcal (Banhez)
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Pedro Ximenez Sherry (El Maestro Sierra)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, top with 3/4 oz IPA (Sierra Nevada Atomic Torpedo), and garnish with a grapefruit twist.Two Fridays ago, I was perusing the KindredCocktails database when I came across an intriguing beer cocktail called the Last Pontoon. The drink was created by Chaim Dauermann at The Up & Up in Manhattan circa 2015 as his update on the classic Japanese Cocktail and published in Saveur. The Pedro Ximenez sherry accents to the orgeat here reminded me of how well the combination worked in the Kartini and Sherry Mai Tai. Using the West Coast-style IPA from Sierra Nevada that I had on hand, the Last Pontoon welcomed the nose with grapefruit, caramel, and raisin aromas. Next, a creamy, molasses, and dried fruit sip paddled into Cognac, raisin, nutty almond, grapefruit, and pine flavors on the swallow with a hint of smoke.