gumptions #2 cocktail

2 oz Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
1/2 oz Luxardo Maraschino
1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters (Angostura Orange)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.

Two Thursdays ago, I reached for Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller's 2010 Tales of the Cocktail A to Z book and found the Gumptions #2 Cocktail. This drink was presented by bartender Phil Ward at the "The Truth (La Verdad) About Mezcal: Its Past and Future" talk in 2010, and it reminded me of a mezcal Fancy Free. It seems that the original Gumptions was the Tequila Gumption -- a split of equal parts mezcal and reposado tequila similar to his Oaxacan Old Fashioned (although different proportions). Phil apparently created the original when he was at Mayahuel in New York City for the Jake Walk in Brooklyn where he was a regular (a/k/a he was dating one of the bartenders).I was also intrigued for mezcal and Maraschino have paired rather well together in recipes such as the Señor Elmo's Fire and Division Bell. Here, the Gumptions #2 proffered a grapefruit, Maraschino, and vegetal aroma. Next, a light cherry note on the sip gave way to mezcal, nutty cherry, and spice on the swallow.