theobroma

2 oz Reposado Tequila (Espolon)
1/2 oz Punt e Mes
1/4 oz Bigallet China-China (Torani Amer)
1 tsp Crème de Cacao (Tempus Fugit)
2 dash Mole Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.
A few Thursdays ago, I turned to The Cocktail Chronicles book for a post-work nightcap and I selected the Theobroma. Paul Clarke had originally written about the Theobroma on his blog 6 years ago where he explained the origins of the drink. When Paul read David Wondrich's Esquire Drinks, he remembered reading through a list of "The Rules" where Wondrich declared that there was no such thing as a Chocolate Martini. Paul tried to figure out how chocolate got a bad rap despite being tasty in drinks like the 20th Century, and he decided on tequila as the base of his elegant chocolate cocktail. Back in 2009, Amer Picon and mole bitters were less available, so Paul offered up his alternative:

Theobroma (blog version)
• 2 oz Reposado Tequila
• 1/2 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth
• 1/2 oz Averna
• 1/4 oz Crème de Cacao
• 1 tsp Mezcal
Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.

While Averna can be rather chocolaty, I decided on the book version since it reminded me of a tequila version of the Coney Island. Once mixed, it shared an orange and agave nose with a darker note from either the amer or the chocolate elements. Next, grape and caramel in the sip transitioned into tequila, bitter, and chocolate flavors on the swallow with a dry ending.