the legend of the five suns

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Fidencio)
1/2 oz Campari
1/2 oz Swedish Punsch (Kronan)
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur (Combier)
2 dash Chocolate Bitters (Bittermens Mole)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.

While perusing the Haus Alpenz site on Swedish punsch, I had spotted the recipe for my 2013 Chutes & Ladders drink that was based off the citrus-less 1937 Metexa. Thus, I was reminded of how well agave spirits pair with Swedish punsch which was something that I exploited a few years later in the Tainted Love; that drink was based off of the gin classic the Havana Cocktail that taught me that Swedish punsch and apricot were friends. I was also reminded of how well Campari joins with apricot in my Boulevardier-meets-Slope Intercept and with Swedish punch in my old co-worker's Poppin' Tags. With a little molé bitters to round things out, I had a drink idea to test out.
For a name, I dubbed this after the Aztec creation story, the Legend of the Five Suns, where they believed that the current world was preceded by four previous rounds of creation and destruction. With rebirth being a good new year's theme, I set to work on making the libation. In the glass, it shared a smoke, orange, and grapefruit aroma. Next, orange and orchard fruit notes on the sip transitioned into agave, smoke, and tea flavors on the swallow with a chocolate-orange finish.