When new spirits come to the St. Louis market, local bartenders get giddy and creative. Enter Murphy’s Second Law, a collaborative effort by Layla general manger (and current president of the St. Louis Bartender’s Guild) Tony Saputo and bartender Zach Murphy. They have taken brand-spanking new booze, added some fire and introduced a wonderful weekend drink.
First, the new stuff: Bone Snapper Rye Whiskey is a dry-as-a-bone, spicy, smoky treat from Indiana and is the backbone of this powerful sipper. Next, rethink single malt whiskey and get France in on the action with Brenne, a fruit-sweet, caramel-smooth whiskey aged in cognac barrels. Mix both whiskeys with three amari: china-china, which offers sweet orange up front and a bitter finish, Zucca with its super smoky nose and fruity rhubarb notes and the classic standby, Campari.
The spirits are stirred and strained over a large ice cube and finished with burned Chartreuse. Burn a liquid? Yes – with a spritz bottle and a culinary torch. The fire burns off the sugar, leaving behind botanical notes. Swipe the rim with an orange peel, and you’re ready to sip. Murphy’s Second Law starts with a citrus nose and an herbal start. Along the way is a deep, smooth orange and fruit flavor that turns pleasantly acidic before finishing slightly dry and warming yet bitter. Balanced and nuanced, the Bone Snapper Rye’s dryness tempers the sweetness of the other ingredients for a sophisticated, layered libation. We can all drink to that.
This article appears in January 2016.