Name: Cantinflas Mustache
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 22.5 ml Mezcal; 22.5 ml Reposado tequila; 22.5 ml Amaro (e.g. Meletti); 22.5 ml Blanc quinquina/kina; 2 dash Mole bitters

Ingredients

³⁄₄ fl oz

Del Maguey Vida Clásico Mezcal

³⁄₄ fl oz

Reposado tequila (100% agave)

³⁄₄ fl oz

Amaro (e.g. Meletti)

³⁄₄ fl oz

Blanc quinquina/kina (e.g. Mattei Cap Corse, Bonal, Kina L'Aéro)

2 dash

Mole bitters

How to make

Glass

Prepare

Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.

Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.

Method

STIR all ingredients with ice.

STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition:

One serving of Cantinflas Mustache contains 192 calories

Alcohol content:

1.7 standard drinks
26.02% alc./vol. (52.04° proof)
23.6 grams of pure alcohol

Gallery

Comments & Discussion

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J C 15w

Nice flavorful cocktail. I will reduce the Amaro next time to 1/2 oz. The Amaro ran over the Tequila and Mezcal

jill andrews 24w

Once I got used to the first. smoky punch this mellowed into a delicious, complex sipper.

Nick Hopewell-Smith 28w

In the ‘Manhattan’ arena - but decidedly more exotic. It has excellent balance. I used Averna and Lillet Blanc. Delighted to have a rare outing for the Xocolatl Mole Bitters - an important element that adds to the overall complexity of this fine drink.

James Kittock Premium Member 28w

I didn’t have Meletti so I used 1/2 oz Averna and 1/4 oz Cynar. It’s an interesting cocktail but it felt more like four ingredients + bitters rather than some alchemical synthesis. Also, given that this drink is straight booze I think it might benefit from the gradual dilution of being served over a big rock. I’d I ever end up with some Meletti I’d give it another try.

Matt Premium Member 30w

I was disappointed - I found the cocktail is dominated by Meletti (which I like) - the tequila and Kina L'Aero are buried in the background, and the mezcal isn't distinguishable at all. In addition, this presents as quite sweet - almost a dessert cocktail. So, good, but overly skewed to Meletti and too sweet, IMO.

James Kittock Premium Member 28w

I had a similar experience although I subbed Averna + Cynar for the Meletti. I completely forgot the Bonal was in it, and the reposado was totally lost. I did get the smokiness from the mezcal I used (Del Maguey Vida Clásico) but tbh I think an M&M would do just as well.

Frederic D. Premium Member 39w

Follow up to my comment below, I also made the Sharpie Mustache, using the specs from Sother Teague's book. That one was also pretty tasty and quite nuanced, the Bonal really bridges the Rye and gin.

Frederic D. Premium Member 40w

This was delicious. I used Nonino since I can't get Meletti in Va., along with Banhez, Bonal, and Olmeca Altos Reposado. Well balanced and nuanced, I loved the use of Bonal in particular.

Calvin Grant Premium Member 40w

Well that was certainly delicious.

Simon Sedgley Premium Member 44w

Even though it's simply a four parts of equal volume cocktail, the balance is wonderful. Is there magic in that formula (it recurs)?

Chris Brislawn 45w

Mole bitters and a smoky mezcal are integral here, and the Meletti-Bonal combo from Elford's recipe works great with the tequila-mezcal base. A darker, heavier amaro like Averna would probably compete more with the base. This was posted on Difford's home page next to a link for Phil Ward's older but similarly named Cantinflas cocktail, which shares 4 of its 5 ingredients, but neither Difford nor Yarm admits to their being any connection whatsoever between the two. Pure coincidence? I think not, so naturally I had to make both so we could try them side by side. Yarm's recipe is more bitter and herbaceous, more aperitif-like, while Ward's is softer, sweeter, more orangey, with sherry undertones peeking through. Overall we both had a slight preference for Yarm's bewhiskered version. Five stars.

Frederic Yarm Premium Member 45w

Of course not absolutely not. I took the idea of a split reposado tequila-mezcal base from Phil Ward via his Oaxacan Old Fashioned and other drinks. However, I took the other half from Chris Elford. Past that, I never knew of Phil's Cantiflas until it was posted on Difford's.

Chris Brislawn 45w

Oh no, I'm sorry if my note sounded accusatory rather than playful. The perils of online publication; no offense intended. Both cocktailvirgin and Difford's Guide bend over backwards to credit the doughty souls behind the bars who create the ever-expanding menu of drinks we enjoy. I assume Difford posted the “Cantinflas” next to the “Cantinflas Mustache” because of their common use of a less-common name, and the reasons to post them together were only strengthened by the common threads in their recipes. This posting makes the “Cantinflas Mustache” look—and sound—a LOT like a mash-up of Ward and Elford’s recipes. Of course, mash-ups are fair game and ubiquitous in mixology, as are tequila-mezcal split bases, and the “Cantinflas Mustache” gets full credit for this Mexican mash-up even if the mash-up happened serendipitously. It also rated five stars from Casa Brislawn; well done!