Cowboy Killer

Bartenders have been putting their own spins on classic cocktails since before they were classic. It’s part of the game. Surely one of the greatest inspirations for cocktail riffing is the manhattan, whose simple whiskey plus vermouth and bitters formula has been tweaked, substituted, and messed with for over a 100 years. Among the earliest and most famous of these twists was the Brooklyn. It saw the addition of Amer Picon, an ingredient whose unavailability would make the drink something of a unicorn during the early days of the cocktail revival. It also brought an addition that would be a mainstay in the Manhattan family moving forward: maraschino liqueur. From this cocktail sprang forth a multitude of contemporary drinks, often named after New York City neighborhoods in homage.

Among my favorites of the 21st century Brooklyn riffs, the Cowboy Killer dates back to 2010 at the Franklin Mortgage and Investment Co. Invented by Philly legend Colin Shearn, the drink takes the Rob Roy and brings it to the Red Hook, a modern classic by Vincenzo Errico at Milk and Honey. Like that drink, it calls specifically for the bittersweet vermouth, Punt E Mes, and the Brooklyn’s classic maraschino.

Shearn splits his base with an Islay Scotch, which brings quite a bit of smoke to the table, and wisely brightens the whole thing with the anise-forward Peychaud’s bitters. All together, it’s a masterful cocktail that’s only as complicated as it needs to be, typical of Shearn’s output from the era. And like most of his drinks, the Cowboy Killer’s name is inspired; it tasted to its inventor like a Marlboro Red.