A refreshing summer Whiskey Highball riff with notes of stonefruit, honey, and baking spice The vanilla and baking spice notes in the bonded rye whiskey combine with the honey and roasted pineapple/banana notes in the Highland malt and the vanilla custard notes in the grain whisky to create a solid platform that allow the sweet/tart notes of ripe pluot to shine through. The honey syrup and vanilla liqueur add body while the fresh lemon juice helps balance the drink. The Amaro soda and bitters boost the baking spice notes and contribute effervescence and a nice bittersweet counterpoint Muddle 3-4 slices ripe pluot in .5 oz Honey Syrup (equal volumes honey and warm water; stir until uniform) Add: 1 oz Rye Whiskey (Bonded bottles like Rittenhouse or New Riff add more concentrated flavor) .5 oz Japanese or Scottish Grain Whisky (Nikka Coffey Grain here; creamier vanilla custard and honey notes) .5 oz Highland Malt Scotch (Craigellachie, Clynelish, a blend of Highland malts like Douglas Laing Timorous Beastie are all nice) .5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice .25 oz Vanilla Liqueur or Syrup (Giffard or Licor 43 for the former) 1 dash Aromatic Bitters of choice (Miracle Mile Forbidden, Abbott’s, Angostura, etc) Shake with ice and strain into a chilled Collins glass. Top with 2 oz of Amaro soda (Casamara Club Sera or Alta both would work really well here). Garnish with a fan of pluot slices on a pick