A while ago I was looking online for cocktail recipes that include Ramazzotti.  I found a nice cocktail called the Central Park.  The Cocktailia blog says it comes from Portobello in PDX which is on my list of places to visit (I live in Seattle after all and while Portland may have a Seattle complex, secretly, Seattle has a Portland complex).

Anyway, I, like the folks at Cocktailia didn’t have any boysenberry liqueur (I guess I’ll have to get in the kitchen next summer and make some; or at least a shrub).  I didn’t care for the Cocktailia version; at least not with the blackberry liqueur I had on hand so I considered other substitutes.  Turns out that Chambord made for a tasty cocktail but not very complex. So, having recently been exposed to the idea of using Laphroig like one would use bitters, I added 3 drops and had a winner.

Being the clever guy that I am, I didn’t want to call this a modified Central Park and so, did a little googling to find out if there was a similarly magnificent park on the island of Islay.  Indeed; Islay House Park is quite grand but a little wordy so I’ve abbreviated it to Islay Park.  And here it is:

Islay Park

1.5 oz   Bourbon (go ahead, try it with scotch if you want the total experience)
1 oz       Ramazzotti
.5oz      Chambord (a shy half ounce at that).
3+ drops of Laphroig 10year old Scotch.

Build it in a rocks glass with a big cube and a lemon twist.

Another very nice variation:

1oz Rye (Bullet)
1oz Bourbon (EC)
1oz Ramazzotti
.5oz Pear Liqueur

Orange peel