When he was a kid, Jesse Carr would curb his hunger for Thanksgiving dinner by snacking on walnuts. "They were always around during the holidays," recalls the Maison Premiere barman. For his Montgomery Slugger cocktail, nostalgia inspired a drink featuring Nux Alpina liqueur, made with freshly picked green walnuts from the Alps that are steeped for months in grape brandy. Carr pours it into an absinthe-rinsed glass along with bourbon and sweet Velvet Falernum, and tops it off with Angostura bitters and a savory burst of Maldon sea salt. It's the addition of coffee, however, in the form of both Mexican liqueur Caffé Lolita and a subtle vermouth infusion that gives this digestif a bold, earthy heft and also pays tribute to Carr's youth. "My mom would put coffee in her sweet potato casserole," he says. Sip this one to gracefully ease your way out of your Stove Top stupor. Recipe:
1½ oz. Four Roses bourbon
½ oz. coffee-infused Carpano Antica vermouth
¼ oz. Caffé Lolita coffee liqueur
¼ oz. Velvet Falernum
¼ oz. Nux Alpina walnut liqueur
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 pinch Maldon sea salt
Absinthe rinse
Combine ingredients; stir for one minute. Before pouring ingredients into coupe glass, rinse with absinthe.