steady as she goes

1 1/4 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth
1 oz Averna
2 dash Mole Bitters

Build in a rocks glass with ice. Top with soda, gently stir, garnish with an orange wedge, and add straws.
For a drink at Merrill & Co., Andrea asked bartender Bryn Tattan for the Steady As She Goes, one of their soda fountain drinks. Once built, the drink offered an orange aroma. A lightly carbonated sip gave way to more caramel notes than grape. Finally, the swallow offered elegant chocolate herbal flavors that made this drink quite delightful.

jim rose

2 oz Bourbon
1/2 oz Grenadine
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 barspoon Fernet Branca

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Two Sundays ago, Andrea wanted to go to Myers & Chang in the South End. Afterwards, we decided to catch a night cap at Merrill & Co. For my drink, I asked bartender Bryn Tattan for the Jim Rose. I have to assume that the name is a riff on the classic Jack Rose cocktail and something from the Jim Beam product line. In addition, the most famous Jim Rose is a the ringleader for a circus sideshow that I saw at the Lollapalooza festival in 1992. Instead of the Peychaud's Bitters that appear in various Boston bars' Jack Rose cocktails (via the Jack Rose Society's conclusions back in 2005), the Jim Rose calls for a healthy dash of Fernet Branca.
The cherry garnish's aroma joined that of the lime and a hint of Fernet. A malt, lime, and pomegranate sip led into a Bourbon swallow with a fruit-tinged Fernet Branca's menthol finish.

two stone

2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
1 oz Lustau East India Sherry
1/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Flame an orange twist over the top.
For my first drink at Merrill & Co., I asked bartender Byron Lepine for the Two Stone which seemed like an interesting riff on a Manhattan that utilized sherry instead of vermouth. Once in a glass, the Two Stone offered an orange and smoke aroma. Grape and malt on the sip led into rye's heat on the swallow followed by an orange and nutty combination and a spice finish.

battle over dutch

1 oz Lustau East India Sherry
1 oz Kronan Swedish Punsch
1/2 oz Tempus Fugit Crème de Cacao
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Twist a lemon peel over over the top.
Two Sundays ago, Andrea was in the mood to go to Myers & Chang for dinner. Afterwards, we ventured the several blocks walk to visit Merrill & Co. for a nightcap where we were greeted by bartender Byron Lepine. For a start, Andrea requested the Battle Over Dutch which was one that I was eying for the pairing of Swedish Punsch and sherry has worked well together in drinks like the Capetown and Tarpon. Once mixed, it offered a lemon oil aroma over the Swedish Punsch's tea and spice notes. A sweet grape and lemon sip gave way to a swallow filled with the punsch's funk, a light nuttiness from the sherry, and a chocolate finish. The Battle Over Dutch gained a touch of sweetness when it warmed up though, but overall, the ingredients made for a great combination.