Prompted Pours

Double-Witch Anchor

A complex, multi-layered rum and gin split-base cocktail that balances smoky earthiness with bright citrus and medicinal honey.

Glass
Coupe
Method
Stir
Ice
None
Garnish
Lemon twist for brightness or orange twist for depth
Serves
2

Ingredients

  • 3 oz Rum — Admiral Rodney recommended — Coffey-still production anchors the herbal liqueurs
  • 1 oz Gin — Hendrick's recommended
  • 1.5 oz Blanc vermouth — Dolin Blanc
  • 0.5 oz Strega
  • 0.25 oz Cynar
  • 1 barspoon Orange liqueur — Cointreau
  • 1 barspoon Bénédictine
  • 4 dashes Orange bitters

Story

The final “boss” of the session. We started with a Witch’s Anchor to accommodate a bourbon sensitivity and a lack of Amaro Nonino. The shift came when we split the orange-liqueur component with Bénédictine to regain the low notes lost without the Nonino, anchoring everything with the clean, structural power of Admiral Rodney rum.

Method

  1. Add all ingredients to a large mixing glass.
  2. Fill with plenty of fresh ice.
  3. Stir for a full 50 seconds to manage the increased volume and achieve a velvet texture.
  4. Strain into two chilled coupe glasses.
  5. Garnish one with a lemon twist and the other with an orange or grapefruit twist to highlight different aromatic profiles.

Notes

  • Bénédictine and Cointreau combined act as a reconstructed substitute for the missing Amaro Nonino.
  • Admiral Rodney’s Coffey-still character is what makes the disparate herbal liqueurs hang together — a heavier pot-still rum tends to dominate.