Hull Breach

• 2.0 oz. bourbon rested in rum barrels
• 0.75 oz. Cynar
• 0.25 oz. sweet vermouth
• 6 drops lactart

Stir with ice, smoke mixer or glass with hickory chips, strain into glass.

I got a new smoke kit earlier this year and was playing around with different smoked drinks. This was a Manhattan variation where the Cynar helped to balance the sweeter bourbon/rum base. You could play with different spirits, as there are a number of bourbons rested in rum barrels. The lactart here was to brighten the final drink without moving towards a sour.

The smoke and the rum inclusion pushed me to think of a cannon shot, thus the name of Hull Breach. I wish I had captured the smoke in the image. Consider this pre-battle.

Thanks Elote

• 1.5 oz. mezcal (Del Maguey Vida)
• 0.75 oz. Cardamaro
• 0.75 oz. Nixta
• 2 dashes Miracle Mile chocolate chili bitters

Stir with ice and strain into glass. If you’re feeling extra, serve alongside elote.

I built this around the Nixta liqueur which features corn. I suppose I could have reached for a corn whiskey, but wanted to keep this more traditionally south of the border, so out came the mezcal for some smokiness. For some brightness I added the Cardamaro, which has literally nothing to do with elote, but really worked well and tasted great. The chocolate chili bitters added some heat and bitterness, and brought it all together.

Where would cocktail naming be without puns? I don’t know. I could say something about being corny, but even I have my limits.