holy smokes

1 1/2 oz Bourbon (Old Grand-Dad Bonded)
1/2 oz Cardamaro
1/2 oz Benedictine
2 dash Bitter Truth Chocolate Bitters
1 tsp Ardbeg Uigeadail Scotch (Ardbeg 10 Year)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with a flamed (unflamed) orange twist.Two Thursdays ago, I spotted a reference to an intriguing drink called the Holy Smokes that has the Cardamaro-Benedictine combination found in the Midnight Mass and Bonatti & the Jets. Therefore, I tracked down the recipe to a 2022 Liquor.com article where it was attributed to Tony Devencenzi; Tony worked as a bartender at places like Bourbon & Branch before moving on to do brand work with Whistle Pig and now with Samson & Surrey. Once prepared, Holy Smokes proffered up orange, peat smoke, and herbal aromas to the nose. Next, a grape-driven sip from the Cardamaro led into Bourbon, peat smoke, minty, chocolate, and herbal flavors on the swallow.