The Good Corque

I like thespir.it, though sometimes the recipes seem less than entirely useful. But today I got a recipe for a drink I wanted to try: The Good Cork. One problem though -- it called for Red Breast Irish Whisky. We don't have Red Breast, and I wasn't sure what would make a good substitution for a single malt Irish Whiskey. I thought about bourbon, but I eventually decided on brandy. My wife made a similar cocktail, but subbed in scotch. We both liked mine better, but disagreed on whether it was because mine was less sweet or more sweet.

I like this drink both because it's tasty, and because it admits easily of substitutions. You could easily use any brown liquor instead of the Irish Whiskey,  and any herbal liqueur instead of the Benedictine. (I think Green Chartreuse might be especially interesting). The mezcal in this version gives it a smoky backbone, while the brandy lends a nice sweetness to balance the smoke. Recipe after the jump.


The Good Cork, courtesy of Phil Ward, Mayahuel NYC

Ingredients:
1 oz. Del Maguey Vida Mezcal (subbed El Lloroso Mezcal)
1 oz. Red Breast Irish Whisky (subbed Pierre Ferrand Cognac)
1/2 oz. Benedictine 

2 dashes Peychaud's Bitters (subbed 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters)