johann goes to mexico

1 1/2 oz Mezcal Vida
1/2 oz Angostura Bitters
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Demerara Syrup (1:1)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Soon Andrea arrived at Drink from her class and it was time for another round. The cocktail bartender Josey Packard wanted to make me was a bitters-heavy mezcal drink called Johann Goes to Mexico. The Johann in question was the 19th century surgeon, Dr. Johann Siegert, who developed Angostura Bitters. Soon after Josey created this drink last year, a bartender from Upstairs on the Square requested if he could put it on their menu where it resided for the summer.
The Johann Goes to Mexico presented itself with an aroma of Angostura's cherry notes and mezcal's smoky sharpness. On the tongue, the bitters' cherry combined with the lemon in a slightly sweet sip. The swallow though was mainly about the smoke and agave flavors from the mezcal; moreover, the Angostura, mezcal, and lemon juice's crispness dried out the drink at the end. Indeed, it was a bit surprising that the Angostura was more up front than on the swallow where it usually resides.