Gunner’s Libation: Lion’s Tail

Classic with a twist: That describes both the Lion’s Tail cocktail and the new Velvet Buck restaurant unveiled recently at the St. Regis Aspen Resort. Though the bar pours cocktails aged in petite oak barrels (Boulevardier or Rumhattan, the flavors of each mellowed over a month or more), this spin on a lemony whiskey sour will roar good riddance to 2017. Here the Lion’s Tail — a 1930s-era quaff crafted using “pimento dram” or liqueur pressed from Jamaican pimento (allspice) berries — is prepared with Kentucky’s finest Buffalo Trace bourbon whiskey, lime juice, and spicy-sweet St. Elizabeth. The last ingredient lends exotic notes that remind us of the tropics and the soon-departed holidays all at once.

Libations was created by beloved Aspen Times publisher GUnilla Asher, who died June 2, 2014, after a brave battle with cancer. Cheers — to Gunner!