I eschewed the cucumber and went in a chocolate direction.

1 oz. Gin (Roku Minori Select Edition)

1 oz. Cacao Nib Infused Campari

1 oz. Amaro Montenegro

1 Barspoon Espresso Liqueur (Borghetti)

2 dashes Chocolate bitters (TBT)

This variant on the Mulholland Drive recipe features the addition of cacao nib Campari and chocolate bitters. I used the Roku for its fruity taste and floral aroma with a back end of bitterness. I really like the OG recipe, but this one brings chocolate in play to transform the espresso into more of a mocha.

1 oz Gin (Plymouth Navy Strength)

1 oz Campari infused with cacao nibs

1 oz Amaro Montenegro

1⁄6 oz Coffee liqueur (Kōloa)

4 dash Cucumber bitters (TBT)

The OG calls for a cucumber-forward gin. I prefer the Plymouth Navy Strength when mixing up strong flavors. To compensate, I added a healthy splash of cucumber bitters, which also helps tamp down the sweetness.

I also diverged by using the cacao infused Campari I made a couple of days ago. The combination of the cacao and coffee liqueur really brings that element forward even though there’s only about a barspoon’s worth of the coffee liqueur. That Kaua’i coffee liqueur is sooo good.

Next time I’m going to try using just regular Campari to see if the coffee is subjugated to the background. As someone who enjoys a damn good cup of coffee like the director of the eponymous film, I feel it’s only fitting to amp it up a bit with this variant.

Good. Arguably more interesting than a regular Negroni