You’ll be forgiven for thinking the server has made a mistake when the Statesman Sour arrives. How could a drink made of white whiskey, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, bitters, and lime juice produce such a velvety red potion? A whole lot of Angostura bitters. Most of us add a few dashes of it to our favorite drinks, but at Tavern Road it’s the essential ingredient of this inverted cocktail. Angostura’s herbaceousness tempers the St. Germain’s sweetness for an overall silky and complex flavor.

STATESMAN SOUR

Makes 1 cocktail

1 ounce white whiskey

1 ounce elderflower liqueur

¾ ounce Angostura bitters

¾ ounce fresh lime juice

1. In a shaker, combine the whiskey, elderflower liqueur, Angostura bitters, and lime juice. Fill with ice and give it a hard shake.

2. Pour through a strainer into a cocktail glass. Adapted from Tavern Road

James Reed can be reached at jreedwrites@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @jreedwrites.