meanswell punch

1 oz Black Tea-infused Pisco (*)
1/2 oz Hayman's Old Tom Gin
1/4 oz Pimm's No. 1
3/4 oz Pineapple Syrup
3/8 oz Lemon Juice
3/8 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Bittermens Boston Bittahs

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Top with around 2 oz of sparkling wine.
(*) While I did not inquire about how they did this infusion, Audrey Saunder's recipe for Earl Grey-infused gin might provide some guidance. Although the pisco was rather dark so it could be more than that.

Last Wednesday, Andrea and I paid a visit to Craigie on Main. One of the drinks bartender Ted Gallager made for me was the Meanswell Punch. The recipe was created when Ted and Paul Manzelli (now of Bergamot) were fiddling with the classic Pisco Punch recipe. The variation they came up with was named after Ted's nickname for Paul which was a play on Paul's last name.
The Meanswell Punch greeted my nose with an aroma of sweet fruit. The sip was light with carbonation; at first the fruity flavor was not very identifiable, but as the drink warmed up, lemon, lime, and pineapple flavors became discernible. Next, the swallow had the sparkling wine's flavor and ended with woody, dry notes from the tea's tannins. The grape taste and carbonation of the sparkling wine definitely took the drink in a different direction from the original.