black magic

1 1/2 oz Mezcal El Silencio Espadin
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Amaro Montenegro
1/2 oz Galliano Ristretto Coffee Liqueur

Build in a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, stir, and garnish with orange oil from a twist.

Two Mondays ago, Andrea and I were invited to attend the El Silencio launch party at Backbar. El Silencio has had a presence at Tales of the Cocktail for a few years, but their two expressions have just reached the Boston market. The one in the black opaque bottle is their 100% Espadin mark, and the other in the clear bottle, the Joven, is a blend of three agave distillates: Espadin, Tobasiche, and Mexicano. While we got to try both on their own in at a side bar, bartenders Carlo Caroscio and Joseph Habib were mixing a five drink menu with the Espadin at the main bar. For a start, I asked Carlo for the Black Magic that he attributed to bar manager Sam Treadway. The menu described it as "A Negroni shot out of a revolver" where I had to believe that the latter part referred to Jon Santer's Revolver consisting of spirit, coffee liqueur, and orange bitters.
The Black Magic started the trick with an orange aroma from the twist's oil and from the amari that mingled with the mezcal's smoke and the Ristretto's coffee roast notes. Next, the Ristretto's dark roast continued on into the sip, and this was followed by smoky mezcal, orange, and lingering coffee flavors on the swallow. Overall, the balance was rather low on the bitterness for a Campari drink.