black dog serenade

1 1/4 oz Brandy (Marie Duffau Napoleon Armagnac)
3/4 oz Suze Gentian Liqueur
3/4 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Chocolate Bitters (Angostura Cocoa)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Scrappy's)

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass pre-rinsed with Laphroaig Scotch, and garnish with a lemon twist. Another one of the cocktails that I had spotted in the online recipe flashcards for Valkyrie in Tulsa was the Black Dog Serenade that was most likely named after an episode of Cowboy Bebop. On paper, it reminded me of something between a classic Vieux Carré and the (apple) brandy-gentian-Benedictine Tin Can Telephone. Once stirred and strained, the Black Dog Serenade conjured up lemon and peat smoke aromas. Next, a hint of caramel on the sip expanded into brandy, rye, gentian, herbal, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.