dead language

1 1/2 oz Rittenhouse Rye
3/4 oz Cocchi Sweet Vermouth (Giacomo Speroni)
1/2 oz Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
1/2 tsp Massenez Framboise (1 tsp Mathilde)
1/2 tsp Massenez Framboise Eau de Vie (omit)
1 dash Bittermens Mole Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora (coupe) glass, and garnish with grapefruit oil from a twist. Two Sundays prior, I reached for my copy of Death & Co.'s Welcome Home book and landed on the Dead Language by Matthew Belanger in 2017. Matthew utilized the raspberry-chile liqueur combination from Tyson Buhler's Sound & Fury in a Manhattan context akin to Thomas Waugh's Red Ant. While I did not have the eau de vie called for here that Matthew was using similar to the kirsch in the Red Ant, I still went ahead to make this drink to experience the raspberry-chile aspect. Plus looking through my 30 other Ancho Reyes recipes on here, very few of them contain fruit liqueurs save for a pair like the Elvis & the Mexican Ghost that use crème de banane. Once stirred and strained, the Dead Language launched off with grapefruit, red berry, and roasted pepper aromas. Next, grape and berry notes on the sip uncovered rye, raspberry, chili pepper, and chocolate flavors on the swallow.