wayback

1 1/2 oz Fidencio Mezcal
1/2 oz Cocchi Barolo Chinato
1/2 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
1/4 oz House Picon Liqueur
1/4 oz Agave Syrup
2 dash House Aromatic Bitters
1 dash Black Tea Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Twist a lemon and an orange peel over the top and discard.

For our second round at Deep Ellum, bartender Max Toste had some off-menu ideas that he wanted to try out on us. The drink Max made me was the Wayback which featured one of the three Fidencio Mezcal products the bar now carries, a pair of robust aromatized wines, and a trio of bitter elements to round off the drink. The Wayback began with an agave and red grape aroma that was accented by the citrus oils from the twists. The sip was a full-bodied cherry-grape flavor with orange notes from the Picon; Andrea described its texture as "velvety." The mezcal appeared on the swallow and its intensity was smoothed out by the sweet wines and agave syrup. Indeed, certain aspects of this drink reminded me of the Independent's This, That, the Other.
For Andrea, Max wanted to show off his variation of the Metexa. I had recommended this recipe when we saw him at Hawthorne and he mentioned that he had reformulated his house Swedish Punsch. His alteration of this 1937 tequila aperitif was as follows:

Metexa (variation)
• 1 1/4 oz Cocchi Americano
• 3/4 oz Housemade Swedish Punsch
• 1/2 oz Fidencio Mezcal
• 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila
• 1 squeeze Lemon Slice (1 dash juice)
• 1 dash House Orange Bitters
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Both the aroma and the sip were dominated by Cocchi Americano and lemon notes. Next, the swallow shifted the focus to a smooth tequila and mezcal flavor, the Punsch and bitters' spice, and a lingering smokiness.