A rich, decadent Manhattan riff (more specifically, a riff on Thomas Waugh’s incredible Red Ant) with dark fruit, chocolate, and spice notes The aged armagnac and prune brandy bring loads of stewed dark fruit and spice notes that are boosted by the Eastern European plum eau de vie, the cocoa/vanilla/dark fruit notes in the vermouth, and the splashes of raspberry liqueur and cinnamon syrup. The splash of single malt Islay scotch deepens the red fruit notes while adding a faint whisper of peat smoke and the bitters reinforce the plum and spiced chocolate notes. Truly delicious! 1 oz Aged Armagnac (Chateau de Pellehaut, L’Encantada, etc; basically a more rustic, spicier Cognac) .5 oz Aged Prune Brandy (Louis Roque Vielle Prune is really nice) .5 oz Slivovitz/Plum Eau de Vie (Jelinek, Clear Creek, etc make nice plum eau de vie) Tsp Single Malt Islay Scotch (Caol Ila, Laguvulin, etc) Scant .5 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi Vermouth di Torino has very nice dark fruit and cocoa notes that work well here) 1/2 Tsp Raspberry Liqueur (St George, Giffard) 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon Syrup (crush 3-4 cinnamon sticks and toast on med-low heat until fragrant; add 1/2 C each granulated sugar and water; stir on medium heat until sugar dissolves until near boil; bring heat to low and simmer 5 minutes before straining) 2 dashes Chocolate Mole Bitters (Bittermens, Scrappy’s, Miracle Mile, etc) 1 dash Miracle Mile Ume Bitters Stir with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a brandied cherry on a pick