night porter

1 oz Bianco Vermouth (Dolin Blanc)
3/4 oz Absinthe (Pernod)
3/4 oz Ruby Port (Taylor Fladgate)
1/2 oz Mezcal (Del Maguey Vida)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

While sipping on the Naked Lady, I reached for our copy of A Taste for Absinthe. Since we had just purchased a bottle of Dolin Blanc Vermouth to make the Forty Virtues, I could now make the Night Porter which had taunted me previously. The drink was created by Jeff Hollinger of the Absinthe Brasserie & Bar in San Francisco. Beside the Dolin Blanc and the requisite absinthe to appear in the book, the recipe was rounded off with the smooth richness of ruby port and the rough smokiness of mezcal. With the combination of potent absinthe and mezcal flavors being balanced by sweet grape ones, the Night Porter had the makings of a good nightcap.
The Night Porter greeted the senses with a lemon, smoke, and anise aroma. The sip contained the ruby port's flavor along with hints of the spiciness yet to come, and the swallow was all about the smokey mezcal and the absinthe's botanicals especially the star anise. The Dolin Blanc was perhaps present in the sip and swallow, but it functioned more to lighten and sweeten the drink and to smooth out the rough edges along with the ruby port.