dead in the water

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Crème de Banane (Tempus Fugit)
1/2 oz Fernet Branca

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.Two Thursdays ago, I uncovered a set of online recipe flashcards for Idlewild in Charlotte, North Carolina. This speakeasy-style bar runs without a menu akin to how Milk & Honey, Attaboy, and Drink do or did, so the set had a mix of their own creations and borrowed favorites. The one that I began with was the Dead in the Water that another site attributed to Idlewild bartender Vince Chirico; moreover, it featured the Fernet-banana combination that I have enjoyed before in recipes like the Banana Toronto but never with a mezcal base. Once prepared, the Dead in the Water proffered an orange, caramel, smoke, and menthol bouquet to the nose. Next, grape and caramel notes on the sip gave way to smoky vegetal, banana, and bitter minty-menthol flavors on the swallow.