obituario

1 1/2 oz Blanco Tequila (Olmeca Altos)
1/2 oz Mezcal (Del Maguey Vida)
1 oz Blanc Vermouth (Dolin)
1/12 oz Absinthe (1/2 tsp Copper & Kings)
2 drop 1:4 Saline

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with lime oil from a twist and an olive on a skull pick.Two Wednesdays ago, I spotted a tequila-mezcal version of the New Orlean's classic Obituary Cocktail called the Obituario created by Simon Difford that he published in Difford's Guide. Simon created this riff for Day of the Dead this year at the Clocktower in Rye, Sussex, and it reminded me a little of Rafa Garcia Febles' Tombstone that took the Obituary in a mezcal direction except that it kept some of the gin in place and supplemented the smoke with a hint of Scotch. In the glass, the Obituario offered up a lime, vegetal, licorice, and floral bouquet to the nose. Next, a white grape-driven sip fell before smoky, vegetal, licorice, and anise flavors on the swallow. With blanc instead of dry vermouth, the balance was not as stark as the classic though.