Ozymandias

 

Story

Ah, the Vieux Carre – a classic New Orleans cocktail created there in the 1930s.  Boozy, bitter, sweet, and smooth, it features a split base of rye and brandy plus sweet vermouth and Benedictine.  The Ozymandias cocktail is a thoughtful modification of the Vieux Carre.  Bartender Nickle Morris, working at the bar Expo in Louisville, Kentucky, decreased the vermouth a bit to make room for Bigallet China China (pronounced SHEE-na SHEE-na).  This complex amaro is made in France by macerating the peels of Valencia and bitter oranges in neutral spirit before distillation, followed by the addition of all the usual amaro suspects – gentian, cinchona bark, clove, and on and on.  The resulting Ozymandias takes the flavor in a subtly different direction.  It’s still boozy, bitter, and sweet, but there’s an additional citrus angle there that makes a difference.  Like its cousin, this cocktail can be served up or over a rock of ice.  I prefer the latter so the drink can open up over time.  
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair! 

Recipe

0.75 oz Rittenhouse Rye
0.75 oz brandy or cognac
0.5 oz Bigallet China China
0.5 oz Benedictine
0.5 oz Carpano Antica sweet vermouth
1 dash Bittermens Elemakule Tiki Bitters

-Stir ingredients with ice.  Strain into old fashioned glass over large ice cube or into a coupe or Nick & Nora.  Express lemon twist over drink and use as a garnish.