A Jigger of Blog

After many visions and revisions, I came up with the following recipe for the Hotel Monteleone’s cocktail creation contest. Without further ado:

Monteleone Cocktail (Submission)

1 oz. Jamaican Rum (Appleton Estate V/X)
1 oz. sweet vermouth (Dolin Rouge)
1 oz. Aperol
2 dashes orange bitters (Fee Brothers West Indian Orange Bitters)

Stir ingredients in an ice-filled mixing glass. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Squeeze the zest of a large lemon peel over the drink and garnish with lemon peel.

This cocktail has the makings of what I think of as a classic. It’s simple and made with readily available ingredients. It has a strong flavor profile with layers of orange, vanilla, lemon and sweet vermouth. I love the color of this cocktail and it’s light while still having the strong alcohol base I associate with the Monteleone’s best known cocktail, the Vieux Carre. I wanted to keep the spirit of that drink in mind here, with multiple liqueurs and bitters. Hopefully it is something the fine folks at the Hotel Monteleone will consider for their new “Monteleone Cocktail.” In either event, I’ll keep making it.