after dark cocktail

1 1/2 oz Lustau Don Nuño Dry Oloroso Sherry
3/4 oz El Tesoro Reposado Tequila (Espolón)
1/4 oz Galliano Ristretto Espresso Liqueur
1/4 oz Benedictine
1 dash Mole Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Two Fridays ago, I decided to make a drink from the recent Vino de Jerez cocktail competition. The one that called out to me was also the winner -- the After Dark created by Dan Nicolaescu of Mayahuel in New York City. Once mixed, the After Dark greeted the nose with a coffee and chocolate aroma. A grape and roasted sip was followed by a nutty sherry, herbal, and chocolate swallow. When the drink was cold, the tequila was not as apparent, but it seemed to fit in quite well; as it warmed up, the agave flavors began to appear on the swallow.  The tequila-nutty sherry combination also worked rather well in a Thomas Waugh's 2009 contest entry, the Delores Park Swizzle.