The Last Big Party of the Year

Ingredients

• 2oz pinot noir
• 1oz bourbon (buffalo trace)
• 1/2oz luxardo maraschino liqueur
• 2 dashes angostura bitters
• orange wedge

I came up with four of these ingredients, and then Claire came to my rescue with the bitters. I liked the fruity, spicy flavor of this drink. The bourbon rounds off the drink with caramel notes that I think work nicely against the wine. This is kind of like a twist on a Manhatten, I guess, but with a different ratio and a very different flavor profile.

In the future, I might use a spicier wine - maybe Syrah? But it deserves experimentation.

Manhattan

• Several dashes of bitters
• 2oz Bourbon (Scotch didn't work as well for us)
• 1oz Sweet vermouth

combine over ice and stir. Serve.

Thoughts: Claire is having a hard time coming up with anything to say about this drink other than "delicious with bourbon"and "tell them not to use scotch." If that's not an endorsement, I don't know what is.
[This is Claire] -- so far, Jim Beam produces the smoothest of Manhattans. Dewars = gross, Bulleit = somewhere in the middle. This will, of course, require more research.