Songs My Mother Taught Me
Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.
I became inspired by the Cardamaro-Amaro Montenegro combination in the Khartoum. The Amaro Montenegro then got me thinking about the combination with mezcal called the M&M, and I mashed up the three ingredients; however, the end result felt flat even after I tinkered by adding absinthe and bitters. In the end, mezcal was not bringing the same structure as Smith & Cross Rum did in the Brick & Mortar classic. I continued tinkering with it at work a day later and took a page from the Scarecrow playbook and added in a 1/4 oz of Fernet Branca which donated that needed depth of flavor. Since the Khartoum was named after the race horse in The Godfather movie, I honed in on actor Marlon Brando and named this the Songs My Mother Taught Me after his autobiography.
- Smoke In The Well — Mezcal, Manzanilla sherry, Amaro Montenegro, Campari
- The Reluctant Saint — Mezcal, Byrrh, Campari, Crème de Cacao, Absinthe, Orange peel
- Traidor — Mezcal, Cardamaro, Aperol, Bitters, Orange peel
- Oaxacan Negroni — Mezcal, Campari, Sweet vermouth, Lemon peel
- Zapoteca — Mezcal, Amer Picon, Sweet vermouth, Bitters
Enjoyable, interesting, and surprisingly refreshing.