mean old man

1 oz Lagavulin 16 Year Scotch (Caol Ila 12 Year)
1 oz Campari
1/2 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth (Giacomo Speroni)
1/2 oz Zucca (Amaro Sfumato)

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist. Two Saturdays ago, I looked to online recipe flashcards and came across the Mean Old Man at the Alley Light in Charlottesville, Virginia, from their Summer 2025 menu. The Islay Scotch, rabarbaro, and sweet vermouth trio made me think of the Caustic Negroni that I created on the fly at my guest shift at Backbar in 2017 but here with Campari in the mix too. In the glass, the Mean Old Man yelled forth a peat smoke, smoky herbal, and orange aroma. Next, grape and roast notes on the sip grumbled into smoky Scotch, bitter herbal, more smoke, and bitter orange flavors on the swallow.