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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.

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.

Well that was certainly delicious.

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

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.

Thank you for finding and posting this! Yes, the original was created with Bonal, but I could see other rouge quinquinas like Byrrh or Cap Corse working great with these ingredients. I have had excellent luck with Byrrh and mezcal pairings in the past, but I went with Bonal to mirror Elford's epic recipe.