Joaquín Simó, Death & Co NYC, 2011.
| ¾ oz · 22 ml | MEZCAL | 40 % |
| ¾ oz · 22 ml | YELLOW CHARTREUSE | 40 % |
| ¾ oz · 22 ml | APEROL | 11 % |
| ¾ oz · 22 ml | LIME JUICE |
1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.
1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.
| Pre-batch | 3 oz mixed with ice, 0.68 oz of it pure alcohol |
|---|---|
| Melt | Shaken: +20 % of the pre-batch, +0.6 oz of water |
| Served | 3 + 0.6 = 3.6 oz in the glass |
| Strength | 0.68 ÷ 3.6 = 19.0 % ABV as served |
| Ethanol | 0.68 oz × 29.57 ml × 0.789 g/ml = 16 g · about 111 kcal from the alcohol alone |
FROM MEZCAL · the smoky phenolic note
The smoke molecule. In peated scotch from burning peat over the malted barley; in mezcal from the underground roasting pit; in barbecue, smoked paprika, and bonfires. One molecule covering campfire, Islay whisky, and good carnitas. The brain files all three under "fire."
FROM APEROL/CHARTREUSE
The bitter from gentian root, used across Campari, Aperol, sweet vermouth, Angostura, and most amari. Bitter compounds activate TAS2R taste receptors that evolved to detect plant alkaloids. The same machinery that makes broccoli taste bad to children also makes a Negroni taste like an adult ordered it.
ALSO IN Negroni · Manhattan · Paper Plane · Boulevardier · Sazerac · Last Word · Vieux Carré · Vesper
FROM LIME · the lemon aroma
Lemon's defining note: technically a mix of two geometric isomers (geranial and neral) that read as the same aroma to the nose. Lemon peel, lemongrass, lemon verbena, and Indian chai all carry it. In cocktails it's what a lemon twist contributes that lemon juice can't: the volatile expressed from the oil glands, not the acid from the pulp.
ALSO IN Margarita · Mojito · Daiquiri · Whiskey Sour · Gimlet · Moscow Mule · Paper Plane · Aviation
Equal parts mezcal, Aperol, Yellow Chartreuse and lime. Guaiacol comes from mezcal's wood-fire roast, gentiopicroside from the two botanical liqueurs and citral from the lime. Smoke-forward and contemporary.
A mezcal Last Word: equal parts mezcal, Aperol, yellow Chartreuse, lime. Simó reportedly took the name from a lyric in Tricky's 'Tricky Kid'; positioned between the Last Word's gin and the Paper Plane's bourbon as the third member of the modern equal-parts trinity.
