des esseintes

1 1/2 oz Del Maguey Chichicapa Mezcal
1 1/2 oz Amaro Nonino
1 barspoon Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
2 dash Angostura Bitters
2 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.

For a follow up to the Garden Sun Swizzle, I asked bartender John Mayer if he had any new drink ideas. Sticking with an agave spirits theme, John proposed a cocktail that he felt was similar to a mezcal Martinez which used Amaro Nonino instead of vermouth. It sounded intriguing and John rarely fails with his agave-fu, so I gave it the thumbs up. The drink began with an orange oil and mezcal aroma. The Amaro Nonino contributed a rich caramel flavor to the sip where it mingled with the agave notes. On the swallow, the mezcal's smoke followed by Maraschino then the bitters rounded out the drink. I was quite impressed at how the sweetness and richness of the Amaro Nonino did a good job beating back the mezcal's intensity.
For a name, I dubbed this the Chipilo as a nod to an Italian-Mexican link in the ingredients. Starting in the late 19th century and continuing on through the Mussolini era, there was a sizable Italian diaspora to the Americas including central and eastern Mexico. Many of these immigrants to Mexico were given land grants and took up farming. One of these heavily settled towns, Chipilo in the state of Puebla, still has traces of Venetian in their dialect.

Post note: John wrote me that the drink now appears on the Craigie on Main menu as the Des Esseintes. John explains:

I thought I'd follow up and mention that this cocktail is now on our list at Craigie; named the "Des Esseintes" after the eccentric and reclusive main/solo character of Joris-Karl Huysmans 1884 work, "A Rebours" (translated "Against the Grain").

There are many streams of this characters conscience that resonate with me; notably his affinity for the color orange and his description of his home bar as a "mouth organ", pulling individual stops to let certain liquors play their part in his drunken symphony.