the man with the x-ray eyes

1 oz Blended Scotch (Famous Grouse)
1 oz Smoky Scotch (Laphroaig 10 Year)
3/4 oz Amaro Ciociaro
1/4 oz Grenadine
2 dash Absinthe (16 drop St. George)
6-8 leaf Mint

Muddle mint leaves in syrup and liqueur in a double old fashioned glass. Add rest of the ingredients, top with crushed ice, and garnish with a bouquet of mint. Two Fridays ago, I was inspired by the previous night's Smoke Julep and the recent Last One Standing to craft my own Julep variation. With the latter's Ciociaro element, I thought about the Picon/Ciociaro-grenadine combination in the Jayco and 8th Arrondissement that dates back to the classic Picon Punch, and I added it in to soften the amaro. For a name, I dubbed this one The Man with the X-Ray Eyes after the Bauhaus song that was a tribute to the 1963 movie of that name. Part of the impetus for the name was the desire not to have back-to-back posts with photos of drinks in Julep cups, so I imagined a see-through vessel instead. Once assembled, The Man with the X-Ray Eyes offered up mint over peat smoke and a touch of fruitiness on the nose. Next, caramel and berry notes on the sip widened into smoky Scotch and bitter orange-berry flavors on the swallow with a mint and anise finish.