I tried this with an overproof Spanish brandy in place of the cognac and man, was it gorgeous! I was a bit concerned about the amount of Maraschino, but it absolutely worked with the brandy and the Mezcal. It enhanced the tobacco notes of the mezcal and brandy without actually overpowering anything. It just leaves a lovely sweet note on the finish.

The Punt E Mes is the real hero though, fantastic choice. It keeps everything in check without dominating the flavour, yet it makes itself known with a certain bitterness on the finish. Love it.

This was excellent !! I love my Montelobos mezcal….wonderfully complex…a winner!!!

Hello Simon. I prefer Armagnac to Cognac; is it a fair substitute or do you think it changes things too much?

This recipe is delightful! I made a few adjustments, using Doc Swinson’s Alter Ego Cask Strength in place of the cognac, Del Maguey Las Milpas, and Carpano Antica instead of Punt e Mes. The flavors are well balanced and delicious but with slightly higher abv.

Absolutely delicious. I really liked the smoke that the Del Maguey Vida bought to this drink, but having read the comments, and with no alternate mescal to hand, tried dialing the mezcal down and upped the cognac to compensate 0.5:1. Different balance, but enjoyed that too.

This is an incredibly well balanced cocktail. This mezcal, cognac, maraschino, and punt e mes interplay is one of the best mixes I’ve tried!

Excellent, added to favorites. I used a rather smoky espadin, Montelobos. Punt E Mays is perfect here, full bodied and fruity, merges with the cognac (VS); and the maraschino plus orange zest reminiscient of a Perfectly Straight Blood and Sand or some variety of a Manhattan.

This is a wonderful medoly, anyone who thinks this is too smoky, needs a different mezcal...