under the volcano

1 oz Del Maguey Chichicapa Mezcal
1 oz Lustau East India Solera Sherry
1 oz Amaro Nonino
1 dash Mole Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Flame an orange twist over the top.

Two Thursdays ago, I found myself in the Kenmore Square area and I stopped into the Hawthorne for a drink. Both Katie Emmerson and Carrie Cole were tending the bar that night, and I happened to find an open seat that was in Carrie's section. Carrie mentioned that there was a new mezcal section of the menu, and when I opened it up, I immediate spotted the Under the Volcano. I enquired correctly as to whether the drink was a Katie Emmerson creation. I was familiar with the name of the drink via another agave recipe, Kyle Davidson's Under the Volcano, that I had two years ago. Both drinks I assume are a reference to a 1947 novel about an alcoholic British consul in Mexico on the Day of the Dead Celebration; shortly after I had the first drink, I bought the book, but sadly, it still awaits in my to-read pile. Unfortunately for my fiction purchases, I have been reading a lot more non-fiction these days.
Katie's Under the Volcano offered an orange oil and smoke aroma. Grape and caramel flavors filled the sip, and the smokey mezcal and sherry on the swallow morphed together into an intriguing flavor combination. Finally, the bitters came through as a chocolate note on the finish, and as the drink warmed up, the Amaro Nonino and mole bitters pairing began to shine.