Flannel Shirt
The Flannel Shirt is an autumnal cocktail inspired by the fashion of the season for the custom shirt company, Taylor Stitch — seriously! Creator Jeffrey Morgenthaler (who was also responsible for the Bourbon Renewal) combines blended scotch whisky, apple cider, amaro Averna, lemon juice, rich demerara syrup, allspice dram, and Angostura bitters to make something truly delicious and easy to drink. If you are unfamiliar with scotch whisky, don’t worry, me either. Besides the fact there is no ‘e’ its spelling, essentially scotch whisky is produced entirely from start to finish in Scotland and tends to have a distinct ‘smoky’ quality attributable to the barley malts exposure to peat smoke. I won’t pretend scotch isn’t without preconceptions, but if you’re wondering whether or not this cocktail is for you, I urge you to reconsider. For one, the volume of apple cider (a.k.a. unfiltered apple juice) used in this cocktail significantly mellows any harsh notes you may be bracing for. Additionally, even in their small quantities, the Angostura bitters and allspice dram infuse the cocktail with familiar fall spices that lends itself to the beverage. Due the inclusion of apple cider and lemon juice, conventional wisdom dictates shaking the ingredients to incorporate them as well as dilute the mixture before straining over fresh ice. When it comes to garnishing this cocktail, the original recipe calls for an orange peel, however, a lemon peel will do in a pinch. But don’t take my word for it, make one and try it for yourself!
Flannel Shirt
In your shaker, combine the Angostura bitters, allspice dram, rich demerara syrup, lemon juice, amaro Averna, apple cider, and blended scotch whisky.
2 dashes / 0.25 tsp of Angostura Bitters
0.5 tsp of Allspice Dram
1 tsp of Rich Demerara Syrup
0.25 oz of Lemon Juice
0.5 oz of Amaro Averna
1.5 oz of Apple Cider
1.75 oz of Blended Scotch Whisky
Add ice to your shaker and shake until it develops a frost. Double-strain the contents (by pouring them from the shaker through a fine mesh strainer) into your rocks glass with ice. Garnish with an orange peel.
