orange & essex

1 oz Brandy (Pedro Domecq Fundador Solera Reserva)
1 oz Dry Madeira either Verdelho or Sercial (Blandy's Verdelho 5 Year)
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
Note: for a drier drink, I have also switched the two volume pairs to 1 1/4 and 1/4.

Two Thursdays ago after work, I decided to try out a drink idea at home. Thinking about all of the Madeira that we use at Loyal Nine in Cambridge, I focused in on the Creole Contentment and how well this wine pairs with brandy and Maraschino liqueur. I also though about how well Madeira works with Campari in Matt Schrage's Red Duster Swizzle. The two concepts synergized when I recalled how well Campari and Maraschino come together to concoct softer Aperol-like notes such as in Eastern Standard's Carnivale (a/k/a the Pisco Disco). For a name, I focused on some of the history of the Loyal Nine group the restaurant is named after in the years before the Revolution. They often utilized the Liberty Tree to hang their effigies; this tree was in Hanover Square here in Boston on the corner of Orange and Essex Streets. The name "Orange & Essex" also reinforced the orange notes in the Campari.
The Orange & Essex began with an orange oil aroma. Grape with cherry notes filled the sip, and the swallow gave forth brandy and red apple flavors with a nutty bitterness on the end. Overall, the drink came across a lot like Eastern Standard's Prospect Park. If I had 4 oz to play with, the 1.5:1.5:0.5:0.5 structure would probably work better here as it did in the Prospect Park to dry out the balance; I did made a drier version of this at Loyal Nine as a 1.25:1.25:0.25:0.25 for a guest and it came across more like a Martinez in balance.