touch of evil

1 1/2 oz Cynar
1 oz El Dorado 8 Year Rum (El Dorado 5 Year)
1/2 oz Appleton Signature Rum
1 tsp Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/2 tsp Fernet Branca
1/2 dash Saline Solution (1 pinch)

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora glass, and garnish with orange oils from a twist.After my bar shift two Fridays ago, I opened up Death & Co.'s Welcome Home and found the Touch of Evil. Bartender John Armstrong was inspired in 2015 by Brad Bolt's Cynar Julep from the 2011 Beta Cocktails book (misattributed to Maks Pazuniak in Welcome Home). The touch of evil that was added to the original's rum-Cynar split was scant amounts of Fernet Branca and Maraschino plus a little saline solution to round out the balance. In the glass, the Touch of Evil greeted the nose with an orange, caramel, herbal, and minty aura. Next, Cynar's caramel notes flowed into the sip, and the swallow conjured up rum, vegetal, nutty cherry, and bitter menthol flavors.