mirage

1 oz Bourbon (Evan Williams Bonded)
1 oz Oloroso Sherry (Lustau Amontillado)
1/2 oz Aged Dark Rum (1/4 oz each Planteray's OFTD & Fiji)
1/2 oz Maple Syrup
2 dash Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. After I landed back in Boston from my Portland adventure, I was in the mood for a nightcap so I reached for my copy of The Madrusan Cocktail Companion book by Michael and Zara Madrusan. There, I selected the Mirage by Joyce Chang at Bar Margaux in Melbourne circa 2024 from the book's Manhattan section. Since maple and sherry have been good bedmates in recipes ranging from the Mapplethorpe to the Midtown, I was game to give this one a go (when I was drinking it, Erick Castro's French Toast Flip came to mind, but the other examples in retrospect are more stripped down ingredient-wise). In the glass, the Mirage glimmered to the senses with rum funk, maple, and nutty grape aromas. Next, grape and amber notes on the sip opened up into Bourbon, nutty sherry, and maple flavors with rum undertones on the swallow.