fair trade

2 oz Scotch (Buchanan 12 Year)
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Coffee Liqueur (Galliano Ristretto)
3 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Mondays ago, I looked to Food & Wine: Cocktails 2015 to a nightcap idea. There I spotted Meghan Eastman's Fair Trade that she created at San Diego's Noble Experiment, and the combination of Cynar and coffee made me think about how much Andrea enjoyed the pairing of a Unicorn Blood coffee custard with Cynar 70 at Loyal Nine. Meghan described her concept as, "Cynar and coffee liqueur are great flavor buddies" and how the drink conjures the flavors of an espresso with a twist of lemon.
The Fair Trade donated a lemon aroma over peat smoke and darker roast notes. Next, caramel and malt on the sip gave way to smoky Scotch, coffee, and earthy herbal flavors on the swallow. As the Fair Trade warmed up over time, the orange notes from the bitters became more evident.