plaza vieja

1 oz Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac
1 oz El Buho Mezcal
1 oz Amaro Braulio
1 barspoon Benedictine
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Salt Tincture (*)

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Twist an orange peel over the top.
(*) The final 3 ingredients were served in a 1/4 oz mixture that also contained a barspoon of Cognac and a dash of cigar tincture.

After the Tea Punch at Backbar, I asked bartender Sam Treadway for the Plaza Vieja from the Modern Inspirations section of the menu. When I inquired as to whom developed this Vieux Carré riff, he replied that both he and fellow Backbar bartender Joe Cammarata both came up with similar recipes without talking to each other.
Once mixed, the Plaza Vieja offered an orange and smoke aroma with a darker note from the amaro. The amaro continued on into the sip as a caramel flavor that accompanied a sweet mouthfeel. Finally, the Cognac began the swallow that ended with smoke and strong herbal and menthol notes that lingered. While the swallow had a great deal of bitter complexity, the salt tincture rather tamed the Braulio here.