el nacional

1 oz Mezcal (Sombra)
1 oz Campari
1/2 oz Ramazzotti Amaro
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
3 dash Chocolate Bitters (Housemade)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist and 2-3 drops of a smoky Islay whisky (Laphroaig 10).

We finally spotted Sombra Mezcal at Gordon's in Waltham and purchased a bottle. While it runs about the same price as (if not a few dollars cheaper than) Del Maguey Vida and has unique packaging, it is still part of the Del Maguey sphere of influence for Ron Cooper worked with two others to bring this product to market. Of the two, Sombra is the smoother and more balanced mezcals at this $30-35 price point. For a use, I decided on Casey Robinson's El Nacional that appeared in Imbibe Magazine a year ago.
El Nacional proffered a smoky aroma that seemed to be more Scotch than mezcal driven; in addition, this was brightened by citrus notes from the lemon twist and the orange in the Ramazzotti. The sip contained a caramel orange flavor, and this led into a smoky mezcal, chocolate, Campari, and herbal swallow. Later, iodine and other minerally notes from the mezcal appeared. Overall, El Nacional was not dominated by the Campari; in fact, it was not a very Campari drink at all such that Andrea inquired if the recipe contained Aperol instead.