satan's mustache (shaved)

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Peloton de la Muerte)
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 oz Cointreau (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Scrappy's)
12 drop Hellfire Bitters (2 dash of my 2009 batch)
3 drop Thai Chili (omit)

Stir with ice and strain into an old fashioned glass rimmed with orange chili salt (microplaned orange zest, cayenne powder, salt).Two Thursdays prior, I spotted an interesting recipe in Teardrop Lounge's section of friends' drinks via online recipe flashcards called the Satan's Mustache (Shaved). It was attributed to Seattle bartender Jay Kuehner of Seattle as a crafty riff on the gin classic the Satan's Whiskers which itself is a riff on the Bronx. Here, it had mezcal instead of gin, omitted the orange juice, and had a spicy aspect to it. The "(Shaved)" part of the name is a reference to how the gin classic had a straight and curled version with the straight one using Grand Marnier instead of curaçao; perhaps the salted rim here is Satan's stubble? Once prepared, this curious drink began with a smoky mezcal and orange aroma. Next, grape and orange notes on the sip smirked at vegetal, smoke, orange, and pepper spice flavors on the swallow.