el toro

1 oz Root Liqueur
1 oz Milagro Silver Tequila
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Lapsang Souchong Tea Syrup (2:1 with Demerara Sugar)
1 pinch Salt

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

At the Art in the Age tasting room at Tales, they had their Root and Snap liqueurs which are rootbeer-like and ginger offerings, respectively, but they also had their newest product, Rhuby -- a rhubarb liqueur. While the Rhuby was available for a taste, there were two bartenders from the Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. in Philidelphia making drinks with their other two products.
The first drink I tried was by bartender Colin Shearn (on left in photo below) who mixed up Root liqueur along with tequila, Cynar, and a smoky tea syrup. The El Toro began with a rootbeer-like aroma punctuated by agave notes. In the sip, the tea shined through and worked well with the birch flavors, and the swallow was a combination of rootbeer and smoke notes that were chased by the tequila at the end.
The other drink I tried was by bartender Al Sotack (on right in photo above) who mixed with Snap. Perhaps taking a page from last years Tales talk entitled, "The Smooth and Creamy History of the Fern Bar," this one was called the New Fern Order:

New Fern Order
• 1 oz Snap Liqueur
• 1 oz Banana Chip-Infused Pampero Rum (*)
• 3/4 oz Punt e Mes
• 1/2 oz Cream
• 1/2 oz Martinique Cane Syrup (sub 1:1 Simple Syrup)
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a stripe of Fee's Aromatic Bitters on top.
(*) 2/3 of a quart (perhaps a pound or 20 oz?) of dry banana chips per 750 mL of rum. Infuse for 20-40 minutes, and strain.

The Fee's Aromatic Bitters provided a glorious cinnamon note to the nose. True to the theme, the sip was rich and creamy; the swallow though contained the banana and rum notes followed by a lingering ginger and spice note that provided a pleasant zingy finish to the otherwise smooth drink.