[pisco disco] carnivale

1 1/2 oz Pisco
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1 dash Mole Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Twist an orange peel over the top and drop in.

On Monday night after I DJed up the street at AnTuaNua, Andrea and I went to Eastern Standard for some cocktails. Bartender Hugh Fiore had an idea with pisco for my first cocktail and I let him do his magic as I focused on the food menu for a late dinner. When I looked up, the drink was there and I was unaware of what spirits he had used. Upon my first sip, I asked Hugh what else was in the drink besides pisco and Aperol. Turns out that there was no Aperol at all, and that I was tricked yet again by the combination of Campari and Maraschino Liqueur. While Campari is a much sharper and more bitter liqueur than Aperol, the sweetness and mouthfulness of the Maraschino seems to neutralize some of Campari's attack; this combination might serve as a good gateway to Campari cocktails for the uninitiated. A swallow of this drink started with the smokiness of the pisco brandy and had the bitterness towards the end followed by a lingering Maraschino flavor on the aftertaste.

Postnote 10/31/10: Bartender Kevin Martin informed me that this is his drink called the Carnivale that he created for a pisco competition (I believe it was Capel). Hopefully, someone else will create a drink called the Pisco Disco for it really needs to exist.