The Man Comes Around

1 1⁄2 oz Cynar

1⁄2 oz Mezcal, Sombra

1⁄2 oz Brandy, Torres 5 Year Old (or other Spanish brandy)

1 t Fernet Branca

1 ds Bitters, Bittermens Xocolatl Mole

1 spg Mint (as garnish)

Instructions

Stir, strain, rocks, garnish with a small slapped sprig of mint.

Notes

Spanish brandy is aromatic with sherry notes; if it can't be found, an oloroso sherry would be a better replacement than a Cognac.

Cocktail summary

Created by

Rafa García Febles, NYC.

Year

2013

Is the

author's original creation

Curator

4 stars

Average

4.5 stars

(35 ratings)

Cocktail Book

From other users

Excellent drink the only criticism I would have for myself is a larger mint sprig. It really balances the fernet and cognac.
Very good. Go easy on the Mole bitters as they can easily overwhelm
Made with Cynar 70 which I would strongly recommend.
A little heavier on Mezcal - dash more - and had to use Tamarind bitters, due to no mole bitters. Great, smokey, Cynar goodness.
With Vida/cognac, quite interesting, each flavor has its turn. The wind takes a turn and blows the campfire smoke in your face! ETA: With Spanish brandy and Sacrificio. Less smoky, more chocolatey.
Very good. Made with Vida and Cognac — ★★★★
Dark chocolate, deep bitterness, smoke, savoriness, mint, long finish. Well-liked on eGullet. — ★★★★★

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Comments

Fantastic drink, Rafa. Lovely bitter-dominant style. I'd recommend giving the mint a slap before putting it in as garnish; I wasn't really aware it was there until right at the end (presumably after it had been beaten up a bit by the ice).

Why the name? Is it 'comes round' as in 'visits', or as in 'wakes up after a few too many cocktails'?

Leslie,

Thank you so much for trying it!

Re: the garnish, I almost always slap my mint (not as dirty as it sounds) before inserting it in the drink (ditto). I should probably make a note of it in the instructions, though, instead of assuming that all KC users would do the same. The mint aromas should bring out the mint/menthol of the Fernet more (you mentioned on eGullet that you didn't notice it much).

The story of the name is as follows: after enjoying a mezcal-heavy drink and a Cynar-driven one at the New York bar Pouring Ribbons, my companions and I took the subway home and were joined for several stops by two tweedy guitar-carrying dudes absolutely tearing it up with a set of Johnny Cash covers, including "The Man Comes Around," about the end of days. When I got home I combined the two drinks I'd had, added Spanish brandy, and adjusted the ratios slightly, and decided the resulting drink was black and bitter enough to be worthy of a name by the Man in Black.

Glad you enjoyed it!, and thanks again.

-R

Oh my. This was fantastic. I basically bought the Xocolatl bitters because I saw so many raves about this drink. I used Vida and Ferrand Ambre (did not have Spanish brandy or sherry).

My question is how many Bittermen's drops is a dash? I used the 15-18 suggested on the Kindred Bittermen's page, but that didn't correspond to the 1/4 length of the dropper that the page says.

Either way, this is great.

Thank you! I was actually just having a discussion about what constitutes a Bittermens dash with KC's own Stew. Bittermens' Avery Glasser says 6 drops = a dash.

Interesting. I wonder why it said 15-18 drops = a dash here.

Just perfect. Rich, smooth, smokey and chocolatey.