deadbolt

1 1/4 oz Peloton de la Muerte Mezcal
1 1/4 oz Banknote Blended Scotch
1/2 oz Cynar 70 (Cynar 33 will work here too)
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
2 dash Fee's Chocolate Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass, and garnish with grapefruit oil from a twist.

After my second bar shift at Our Fathers Deli two Fridays ago, I stopped into Russell House Tavern on my way home. There, I found a seat in front of bar manager Joe Slavinski and asked him for the Deadbolt. Joe described how that was his menu item; he was inspired by a similar drink he had once read about in one of his books but could never find again, so he made his own take on it. His cocktail was first crafted with the original Cynar before being put on the menu with Cynar 70, so Joe explained that either version would work well here.
The Deadbolt teased the nose with smoke and dark notes from the Cynar that were brightened by the grapefruit oil. Next, malt and caramel on the sip led into a swallow where smoke transitioned into funky herbal flavors with a chocolate and lime-clove finish.