pajazo mental

1 oz Mezcal (Banhez)
1 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Honey-Ginger Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass with ice, and float 1/4 oz Nocino (Russo, it sank though).Two Mondays ago, the September/October issue of Imbibe arrived in the mail, and that night I latched onto the Pajazo Mental by beverage director Eric Syed at Parche in Oakland from an article on Penicillin riffs. This Penicillin riff had the smokey element in a split base with rye instead of as a float; here, the float was a walnut liqueur one. Due to the sugar content, my float sank but it did imbue a walnut aroma though through residuals on the ice and on the surface of the drink. That walnut note was joined by vegetal and smoke aromas on the nose. Next, lemon and honey on the sip led to rye, vegetal, smoke, and ginger flavors on the swallow that were later joined by a walnut finish.