The live music that plays nightly at Anthology must serve as inspiration for Anthology’s bar manager Marc Canzoneri. A cocktail’s success, he says, is not gauged by the number or disparity of ingredients but by whether those ingredients achieve a pleasing harmony.

The worst thing for a bartender, he says, is to see customers “sucking in their lips and making that face that says, ‘That’s it — no more!’ You don’t just put ingredients in a drink so you can put it on a menu; the cocktail should have depth and character.”

Marc Canzoneri

Exhibit A is the Whiskey Rose, which Canzoneri crafted from rye, honey, rosemary, and grapefruit.

“Since I love Old Fashioneds,” he says, “I wanted to make something that people who have been drinking whiskey for years would love and people who are just starting to get into whiskey would love.”

The drink itself is a bit more layered than your foursquare old fashioned, though, Canzoneri explains. Lighter than its robust bourbon cousin, he says, the rye does not overpower but works with the other ingredients.

“The rosemary is a strong enough flavor to compete with rye whiskey,” Canzoneri says. “I think you’re going to get the grapefruit going well, too, with the rye’s caramel and peppery. Then the grapefruit soda mellows things out and brings everything together.”

Kitchen Proof: The whole affair, while reminiscent of the best parts of an Old Fashioned and the herbal finish of a Negroni, is a completely new and ingenious creation. Perfectly partnered, the grapefruit and honey allow the rye to rise to the occasion before bowing to the rosemary’s encore of subtle dryness.

HOW TO MAKE IT:

• In an Old Fashioned glass, muddle:
• • 2–3 ruby red grapefruit segments
• • ½ oz. rosemary honey syrup*
• • 2 dashes Angostura orange bitters
• Pour contents into ice-filled shaker and add:
• • 2 oz. Old Overholt rye whiskey
• Shake, pour contents back into glass, top with San Pellegrino Pompelmo (grapefruit) soda, garnish with large twist of grapefruit.
• *Rosemary honey syrup
• • 1 cup of honey
• • ½ cup of water
• • 3–5 sprigs of rosemary
• Bring ingredients to a slow boil in a saucepan, reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes, let steep for 30 minutes, and remove rosemary sprigs.