I stumbled upon this drink in the same way as Fred Yarm - flipping through the PDT Cocktail Book hoping to find something that looked good. This is a reimagining of Jamie Boudreau's Cooper Cocktail from Vessel in Seattle in the late-2000s during the first phase of the cocktail renaissance. It has all the features of the time - rediscovered ingredients like bonded rye whiskey and Fernet Branca alongside new ones like St. Germain. The spin takes it in a more Manhattan-y direction with aromatized wine.Duboudreau Cocktail2 oz rye whiskey
0.75 oz quinquina0.25 oz St. Germain0.25 oz Fernet
Combine all ingredients, stir with ice for fifteen seconds, then strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a lemon twist.The aroma leads with a big wallop of mint from the Fernet, plus herbal rye and a touch of grapefruit peeking out from behind. The sip opens fairly sweetly between the St. Germain and Punt e Mes, sliding into bittersweet rye in the middle and complex bitterness further back . The finish is balanced between continued bitterness from the vermouth and Fernet, oak tannins from the whiskey, and a soft grape-iness. What a drink. At first sip I wasn't sure if this was going to work, but it manages to come together in a delightful fashion. Equally astounding, the robust flavors of the minor ingredients manage to keep this from feeling overwhelmingly alcoholic, which is quite an accomplishment with so much bonded rye. While definitely not a drink for the faint of heart, if you have everything on hand it makes for quite an adventure.
