An original cocktail: the Wisteria

This cocktail, a fairly simple sour, was inspired by the Stardust, a drink which Boston hospitality legend Brother Cleve created for the opening specialty cocktail menu of the late, lamented B-Side Lounge in Cambridge, MA. (Cleve in turn describes his cocktail as a variation on Don the Beachcomber's Royal Daiquiri, a Tiki drink of early 1940s vintage.)

The Wisteria's name references its pale lavender tinge, which is imparted by Parfait Amour, a curaçao-like cordial with subtle vanilla and almond notes, the vivid purple color of which probably no longer derives from violet petals as it once did. (I have found the Marie Brizard bottling of Parfait Amour the easiest to find in the Boston area.)

It uses shaved ice, which serves two purposes: a) it alludes to the Trader Vic's Mai Tai, of which the flavor of this drink is faintly reminiscent, and b) it gives me another excuse to use my Hawaiice ice shaver.

These go down easy, so be careful. The shaved ice left in the glass is like a delicious Sno-Cone for grownups.

WISTERIA COCKTAIL
MC Slim JB, Boston, MA

2 oz Flor de Caña Extra Dry rum (from Nicaragua)
1/2 oz Marie Brizard Parfait Amour liqueur
1 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz simple syrup

Shake all ingredients vigorously over ice.
Strain into a rocks glass packed with shaved ice.
Garnish with a short, normal-bore drinking straw (not a cocktail straw -- I snip a bendy straw in half) and a wide shaving of lime peel.