celery stalker

1 1/2 oz Del Maguey Mezcal Vida
3/4 oz Manzanilla Sherry
1/2 oz Falernum
1/4 oz Lime Juice

Muddle an one inch piece of celery. Add rest of ingredients and ice, stir, and strain into a rocks glass rimmed with celery salt and filled with ice. Top with 1-2 oz soda water, garnish with the leafy end of a celery stalk, and add straws.

After J.M. Curley, I crossed town to meet Andrea at Estragon for dinner. For a first drink, bartender Sahil Mehta made me one of his celery-inspired cocktails; I am not sure if Celery Stalker was the name assigned to this variation, but it was the most catchy of the bunch. The combination of agave, manzanilla sherry, and falernum sounded rather appealing especially when I recalled a Tequila Scaffa that Tyler Wang made for me at No. 9 Park on my birthday. And of course, the sherry fit in rather well with Estragon's Spanish theme.
The vegetalness of the muddled celery in the drink, celery salt rim, and the celery stalk garnish contributed greatly to the drink's aroma. The celery carried on into the flavor where it joined a dry grape and lime sip. Finally, the smoky mezcal led off the swallow that ended with clove spice notes and a vegetal finish.