In Which The Smarter Among Us Figures Out What We Drank

(In other words, not me.) We tried this drink called the Perique Swizzle at this cocktail place nearby which was interesting and good (interesting *and* good is always good), then tried to replicate it at home: two ounces rum, 1.5 ounce mezcal, .5 ounce falernum, .5 ounce amaro (they used sfumato rabarbaro; we tried both cynar and amaro ciociaro, the latter being better), a pinch of salt and some crushed mint leaves. As the name evokes, the original was a variation on a swizzle, which is Caribbean using rum, falernum and juices. Go easy on the salt: the bartender at the Last Word called it a “salt brine” and indeed there’s a thin line between delicate oyster liquor and a snoutful of Labor Day surf.