barefoot in the dark

1 oz Famous Grouse Scotch
1/2 oz Laphroaig Scotch
3/4+ oz Campari
3/4+ oz Swedish Punsch (Kronan)
1/2 oz Cynar

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

Two Thursdays ago, we began the cocktail hour with a drink I spotted on Maksym Pazuniak's twitter feed for his weekly Something Like This event. The Barefoot in the Dark description reminded me a lot of his Last Mechanical Art from Beta Cocktails with a change of smokey spirits. What really drew me in was his use of Swedish Punsch which I thought would help smooth over the concept more than the original's Punt e Mes. Therefore, I wrote Maks and requested the recipe. Maks explained that it was indeed a riff on the Last Mechanical Art as well as on the Boulevardier.
The orange twist contributed to the drink's aroma of the Scotches' smoke along with a hint of Campari. Next, the sip was a bright almost citrus flavor that mingled with the whisky's malt notes. Finally, the swallow began with a smoothed out Scotch and herbal Cynar and ended with Campari's sharper notes. Overall, the Barefoot in the Park felt more balanced as the Swedish Punsch contributed more sweetness instead of Punt e Mes' extra dose of bitterness to the mix.