Imagine the patchwork hues of autumn in the hills of Tennessee. The somber scarlet foliage over stands of oak could be that first sip with its scorched caramel and ebbing smoke, like piles of raked leaves smoldering. That’s the bourbon, warmed by browned butter. More cheerful yellows and oranges dressing hickory or sycamore trees reflect the nip of chicory and zest in the bitters. Deep browns leaves are the mellow richness of walnut liqueur.
And dusk is fast approaching, with a cozy warmth of chocolate and bitter, dark roasted coffee by the fireplace and a chill beyond the door, where smoke begins to settle in the hollows and foreboding shadows fill the scene.
This is the fall in a cocktail glass. This is whiskey country, with stills and men smoking cherry-scented tobacco by the woodshed. This is a cocktail crafted by Anthony Vitacca at Montrio Bistro from brown butter bourbon, walnut liqueur, chicory pecan bitters and smoked ice that changes the cocktail in miraculous ways as it slowly melts.
He calls it Saving Private Ryan, but it is less a battlefield and more like a walk through woods that are lovely, dark and deep.
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