quetzal

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Fidencio)
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
3/8 oz Cinnamon Syrup
3/8 oz Campari
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with a grapefruit twist (or lime wheel).

Recently, I was tasked at work to develop a mezcal Paloma riff served in a coupe for the new menu at La Brasa, so two Wednesdays ago, I decided to tinker. I latched onto the idea of the Tiki staple Don's Mix of grapefruit and cinnamon and then considered how well cinnamon and Campari pair such as in the Rum Firewalker. The end result was tasty, but it felt like a touch of bitters would give the profile a lot more depth; my instinct was to go to absinthe but I opted for Peychaud's Bitters instead. For a name, I went with the idea of the Paloma translating to dove, and I went with another indigenous Mexican bird: the Quetzal. The Quetzal has been long admired for its beauty and the bird was sacred to the Mayans and Aztecs.
The Quetzal flew to the nose with a smoke, grapefruit, and cinnamon aroma. Next, a grapefruit and lime sip gave way to a smoky mezcal and bitter herbal swallow with a cinnamon finish.