New Cocktails: the Devereaux

After seeing this recipe, I knew I had to make it (albeit with a couple of tweaks).

The Devereaux
1 oz bourbon
0.5 oz St. Germain
0.5 oz lemon juice
0.5 oz simple syrup

Build over ice, then top with ~3 oz of sparkling wine. Garnish with a mint leaf.

The nose is dominated by the bourbon's oak, with some St. Germain peeking around it. The sip begins with lemony sweetness, which fades through waves of sparkling wine, woody bourbon, and elderflower/lychee. The finish is bittersweet, with the tang of dry wine and lemon. As the ice melts, the bourbon becomes more prominent.

This is an interesting drink, because the flavors layer instead of integrating with each other. Everything remains distinct, while still meshing well.

While the original recipe called for Bulleit bourbon, I felt like this needed some more punch and used Old Grand Dad 114 instead. I also wanted to make sure that the base flavors of the drink didn't get too watered down and skipped shaking with ice before adding the sparkling wine. On a warm day, the ice in the glass will chill and dilute the drink pretty quickly, so it doesn't need more.