dulcinea

1 1/2 oz Zacapa 23 Rum
1 oz Cream Sherry (Lustau East India Solera)
1/2 oz Del Maguey Crema de Mezcal (Fidencio) (*)
2 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a cherry.
(*) To replicate the crema de mezcal's sweetness, at 1/10 volume of agave nectar to every measure of mezcal. I skipped this adjustment here since the balance appeared pleasing already.

Two Sundays ago, I selected Amanda Schuster's New York Cocktails and I spotted the Dulcinea, and a sherry drink seemed perfect for the evening. The Dulcinea was only attributed to the Raines Law Room in that book, but in Finding Mezcal, it narrowed it down to Meaghan Dorman. There, Meaghan described how, "The deep, dark flavors put me in mind of my first trip to Oaxaca, which was right around Día de los Muertos, a special time of year."The Dulcinea welcomed the senses with a caramel, vegetal, smoke, and raisin aroma. Next, grape and caramel on the sip danced into rum, fig, and smoky mezcal flavors on the swallow with a chocolate finish.