For the Magnificent Bastard magazine cocktail contest:
The Magnificent Bastard Cocktail
1 oz Mezcal (Del Maguey Chichicapa)*
.5 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin Dry)
.5 oz Sweet Vermouth (Dolin Rouge)
1.5 bar spoons Maraschino (Luxardo)Stir all ingredients over ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
I think this is a cocktail that really fits into the idea of Magnificent Bastard and the type of drinks their editors seem to enjoy. It is very complex – smokey, sweet, bitter, deep and balanced. Each sip reveals a slightly different layer, showing the magnificence of this drink. But it’s also straight spirits and packs a strong punch. You may be intimidated by the mezcal, but don’t be — this isn’t the Mezcal from your college visit to Tijuana or Cancun. This is A Serious Spirit. Embrace it and let it free you.
* I also have made this with Del Maguey’s San Luis Del Rio. It is smokier than the Chichicapa, which has a strong citrus mix that I think works better for this cocktail.
A Jigger of Blog 
Straight spirits with half the volume being vermouth?
By: dave v on February 3, 2010
at 6:59 pm
Yep, though technically less than half the volume is vermouth.
By: Matt Hamlin on February 7, 2010
at 1:10 pm
[…] a reminder, here’s what I’m bringing to the table in the Magnificent Bastard cocktail contest: 1 oz Mezcal (Del Maguey Chichicapa) .5 oz Dry Vermouth […]
By: Magnificent Bastard Contest Brackets « A Jigger of Blog on February 8, 2010
at 1:58 pm
[…] I really like about my recipe is that it has its roots in a very old, classic recipe native to DC: the Hong Kong. The Magnificent […]
By: Advancing in the Magnificent Bastard Contest « A Jigger of Blog on March 14, 2010
at 2:02 pm