Not every cocktail needs a great story. I was looking for an idea for a beverage for Pamela, my wife, and wondered if I could bring the flavors of Benedictine, which I had on the shelf, into something carrying the rum flavors she likes in a cocktail. Made sense to the seasonal part of my brain too. Discovered this Seattle cocktail. Swapped absinthe for a few dashes of anise-forward Peychaud's bitters and let a little agricole from Martinique add a complexity to the rum (the original called for Bacardi, I like the Eclipse for notes of vanilla, caramel,hints of spice, oak, banana). The Clément Blanc adds grassy notes, caramelized sugar, and dry citrus peel.
1.5 oz Mt. Gay Eclipse
0.5 oz Rhum Clément Blanc
0.75 oz lime
0.5 oz Benedictine
0.5 oz simple syrup
3 dashes Peychaud's
If you have one, garnish with a brightly colored edible flower. Or a purple flower. Just do purple, trust me. Or purple and white.
Enjoy!