tobacco road

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Fidencio)
1 1/4 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Fino Sherry (La Gitana Manzanilla)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass with a large ice cube, and garnish with a grapefruit twist and a pinch of sea salt.Two Saturdays ago, I saw a reference to the Tobacco Road cocktail created by Nick Caruana, and I was able to track down the recipe in a 2014 article in Serious Eats. The combination of Fino sherry and Cynar reminded me of the Remember the Alimony, and with the mezcal, I recalled my own riff with citrus called the Texas Cakewalk. In the glass, the Tobacco Road conjured up grapefruit, caramel, and smoke aromas. Next, caramel wafted into the sip, and the swallow exhaled smoky vegetal and briny flavors with an anise and smoke finish.