rodeo ghost

1 oz Fidencio Mezcal
1 oz Zucca Amaro (Sfumato)
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
2 dash Mole Bitters (Bittermens)

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice, and garnish with an orange twist.

Two Saturdays ago, I saw a mention of a mezcal drink called the Rodeo Ghost, and I hunted down the recipe in a 2012 article in Serious Eats. The drink created by Brent Butler at San Francisco's West of Pecos was a simple equal parter with Zucca and sweet vermouth accented with mole bitters; this was the recipe that I stuck with despite finding a perfect split of sweet and dry vermouth in Drink Me magazine and Punt e Mes as the vermouth on the Kindred Cocktails database. Since mezcal and rabarbaros like Zucca and Sfumato worked so well in the Chain Smoker, Gully Brood, and Postcard Home, I was excited to try this one out.The Rodeo Ghost welcomed the senses with orange oil over smoky, dark herbal aromas. Next, a roast and grape sip rode into smoky agave melding into smoky bitter flavors on the swallow with a chocolate finish. Overall, this combination brought out a mineral note from the mezcal.