airbag

1 oz El Tosoro Reposado Tequila
1/2 oz Mezcal del Maguey
1/2 oz Batavia Arrack
3/4 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
1/4 oz St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
1/4 oz Benedictine
2 dashes Bittermens Xocolatl Mole bitters

Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a lit cherry bomb (cherry soaked in Laphroaig Cask Strength).
For my second cocktail at Drink last night, I asked Misty for a suggestion for a next step, and when she mentioned the name of the drink and that it was a Phil Ward (Death & Co., NYC) creation, I was sold without knowing what was in it. According to Paul Clarke in his Cocktail Chronicles blog post about this drink, the cocktail was made at the behest of Avery Glasser of the Bittermens Bitters. Paul wrote, "Recognizing the horrific resemblance of this long list of complex-flavored ingredients to the gruesome spectacle of a car wreck, Phil dubbed this drink the Airbag."
The drink features three smoky flavored ingredients: Scotch, mezcal, and Batavia Arrack, although the tequila could have some smokiness to it as well. Not knowing the history of the drink until today, I figured that the drink was named after the smoky residue that is dispersed when an airbag is deployed. The car crash aspect of it was missed on me since I have seen other creations of this magnitude work. The rest of the drink is very herbal with the Allspice Dram, Benedictine, and Carpano Antica vermouth not to mention the bitters adding a great deal of complexity to the drink. The top picture did not capture the flaming cherry due to the flash but it was the rather pretty blue flame associated with burning alcohol. Overall, the crazy recipe for this drink did indeed work. It was spicy and smoky. Andrea after trying my drink commented that she was "hit in the nose with a giant rush of flavor, kind of like a car accident. Ow... but I'm still alive." So apparently, a better name for this drink could not have been chosen. And thanks to Misty for bringing a bit of NYC magic over here.