lucy mercer

1 1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac (Courvoisier)
3/4 oz Blanc Vermouth (Dolin)
1/2 oz Amaro Meletti

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with lemon oil from a twist.Two Mondays ago, I ventured back to the Maison Ferrand 2015 New York City Cocktail Book and honed in on the Lucy Mercer by Erick Castro at the now closed Boilermaker in Manhattan. Erick named his Cognac drink after President Franklin D. Roosevelt's mistress who was never allowed to attend the cocktail hour. With a brandy, vermouth, and Meletti, it reminded me of another tribute cocktail, the Hedy Lamarr. Once mixed, the Lucy Mercer tempted the nose with a lemon, caramel, and floral-herbal bouquet. Next, a semi-sweet sip with caramel notes revealed Cognac, cola, and floral flavors on the swallow.