Cherry Russell

1 oz Cognac
1 oz Gin
3⁄4 oz Aromatized wine, Cocchi Americano
1⁄2 oz Sour cherry syrup
3 ds Peychaud's Bitters
1 twst Lemon peel (Garnish)
1 Cherry (Garnish)
Instructions

Stir, up, coupe. Discard peel after expressing.

History

Was challenged by a friend to make something with sour cherry. Named it for Jerry Russell, a friend and colleague who passed away recently.

Cocktail summary
Posted by Bevx on
Created by
Christopher Bevins
Is the
author's original creation
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Not yet rated
Average
4 stars
(2 ratings)
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From other users
  • We did some customization: added some lime, substituted Lillet (since we have it). But like the sour cherry. — ★★★★
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Comments

I had just made some tart red cherry syrup and was looking for cocktail ideas when I came across the "Cherry Russell". Only thing was I was all out of Cocchi Americano, so I subbed in Dolin Dry vermouth and added 2 tiny drops of gentian extract to make up for the difference in bitterness. Works great! The sweet/tart syrup blends nicely with the cognac which together plays well off the light and herbal gin and vermouth, with those little drops of gentian bringing in an almost intangible wispper of bitterness.

Bevx commented on 2/09/2014:

Glad you liked it! Your substitution seems both appropriate and delicious in its own right... The gin/cognac combo felt a little weird "on paper," but after having some success with this drink, it's something I've been meaning to explore further.