Cocktail of the Week: The Picket Fence at Ba'sik

Many a bottle of newly unveiled booze is sent to chill Williamsburg lair Ba'sik with the hopes that co-owner Jay Zimmerman will become smitten. Angostura 7-year-old rum is one such success story. Zimmerman says he was instantly impressed by the Trinidadian import upon first taste and, he says, "I made some cocktails with it and everything was coming out delicious and complex."

Brandon Bramhall, one of Zimmerman's bartenders, also started experimenting with the rum, combining it with fresh grapefruit juice, lime juice and simple syrup to elicit the Picket Fence. With its vegetal artichoke note, compelling Italian liqueur Cynar lends a touch of bitter roundness.

"Something about the drink reminded me of sitting on a porch and staring out onto a big lawn on a summer night; the image of an old picket fence came to mind," says Zimmerman.

Although the temperatures are finally starting to dip, we suspect a scarf and hat is all that will separate us from sipping a few of these long into fall on Ba'sik's own lovely backyard perch.

1 oz.  Angostura 7-year-old rum

¾ oz. Cynar

¾ oz. fresh grapefruit juice

½ oz. lime juice

½ oz. simple syrup

Shake ingredients and serve up in a cocktail glass.