lips like sugar

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
1/2 oz Sloe Gin (Plymouth)
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.While working at Drink two Saturdays ago, I had made a guest or two Phil Ward's Lipspin. Later, another guest requested a mezcal drink with bitter notes but with citrus, and I decided to convert the Lipspin into a Sour especially after recalling a comment on Kindred Cocktails where someone thought the drink could use some acid. Therefore, I reduced the two liqueurs from 3/4 to 1/2 oz, and since the Lipspin is pretty well balanced as a stirred drink, I countered the lime juice with simple syrup. When I got home, I tried out the recipe for myself and dubbed this Lipspin riff after the Echo & the Bunnymen song Lips Like Sugar. Here, the Lips Like Sugar proffered a smoke, berry, and lime bouquet to the nose. Next, berry, caramel, and lime notes on the sip jumped into vegetal, smoke, and cranberry-cherry flavors on the swallow.