Stir, strain into old fashioned glass with a large cube or sphere. Garnish with an expressed orange swath.
Scotch not specified, I used my house blend (2 parts Monkey Shoulder, 2 parts Bank Note, 1 part Highland Park 12, 1 part Macallan 12)
“that which I have seene most fruitful is sower [sour] oranges and lemons . . . I wish that some learned man would write of it [scurvy], for it is the plague of the sea, and the spoyle of mariners.”
— Sir Richard Hawkins, 1590
A gimlet is a small hand drill, meant (back when things were still sealed in barrels) to drill a hole in a barrel and let whatever was put inside out. A gimlet pierces things, and so people with a sharp gaze were “gimlet-eyed”. A Gimlet also pierces. Made from gin and lime, it’s meant to be a short, sharp drink tossed down the hatch, but modern, craft oriented bartenders take one look at the neon-green, corn syrup filled Rose’s lime juice that’s supposed to go into the drink and think about either making their own lime cordial or simply substituting fresh lime juice and sugar. And I don’t think they’re wrong.
That yuzu super juice has changed my life, I'm addicted.
I was expecting a really bitter kick with this much Malort, but the drink proved to have well-balanced bitterness with a very long wormwood finish. The gentle malt, subtle cherry, and broader grape/gentian of the Bonal create a fine flavor body to contrast with the ensuing finish. It is a solid 4+ on flavor alone, but doing that with this much Malort earns style points, so I am giving it a 5.
Curated to change rinse from Teapot Bitters to Dandelion and Burdock Bitters per the recipe notes.
Curated to Dandelion & Burdock Bitters per the original ingredient note. Dr Adam Elmegirab's Aphrodite Bitters had been selected as a work around in the ingredient list from what I could see. Also had to change the Lillet to Lillet Blanc since the editor red flagged it as ambiguous. If either of these selections are incorrect, let me know so it can be fixed.
The recipe that I got from the bartender had 1/8th oz (1 tsp) mezcal. And I wouldn't be surprise if this user lifted it from my site and entered the recipe incorrectly:
https://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2010/09/chupacabra.html