guns of brixton

3/4 oz Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
3/4 oz Apple Brandy (Laird's Bonded)
1 oz Bonal Gentiane Quina
1/4 oz Sloe Gin (Plymouth)
1/4 oz Cynar

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.

Two Mondays ago, I wanted to utilize my new bottle of Bonal as well explore the combination of Cynar-sloe gin that I had first learned about in the Transatlantic Giant and the Lipspin. I had previously tinkered with mezcal in this combination in the Lips Like Sugar and knew that the spirit complemented Bonal, and I recalled that applejack worked wonderfully with sloe gin in the Persephone as well as partnering with tequila and mezcal. For a name, I was listening to a Pandora radio station, and The Clash's Guns of Brixton was playing as I was making the drink. When I realized that sloe plums are grown in Brixton, the name stuck.The Guns of Brixton welcomed the nose with apple, smoke, and fruity aromas. Next, grape and berry notes on the sip shimmied into apple, berry, chocolate, and vegetal flavors on the swallow with a smoke and berry finish.