Newton's Quandary

     Finocchietto, an interesting liqueur with a certain je ne sais quoi, boy do I need to learn Italian.  I had been serving it as a vin santo, which I thought it was.  The most I could describe at that moment was it was an interesting after dinner liqueur with similar aspects to sambuca, kinda anise-y.  But after a month or so of my sheer ignorance, my well-traveled chef  explains to me that finocchietto is the literal translation for fennel in Italian.  What a "mensa" moment.  Now on to a challenge, I love challenges. 

     The impromptu challenge was to come up with a summertime cocktail to be served over crushed ice, a la swizzle or julep, but what goes with fennel?  A little research and a day later and I have an intrigue  that I can't wait to bang out.  Fig Newtons came to mind and thus it shall be.  A quick mix, a little citrus and a hint of sweetness and we have the:

Newton's Quandary 

1 oz. grappa

0.5 oz. liquore di finocchietto

0.5 oz. spiced honey syrup

0.75 oz. lemon juice

2 dahses Fee's Plum Bitters

2 Fig Newtons (broken up)

- muddle, hard shake and fine strain over crushed ice

dash cinnamon garnish

     A delicious concoction with an interesting grappa backbone, a nice fennel touch and a creaminess I didn't expect from the Fig Newtons.