The Mole Derby

In the mood for a fun, wintry pre-New Year's eve cocktail, tonight we started experimenting with a bottle of Bitterman's mole bitters that I bought this afternoon. For those of you who don't know, mole bitters are bitters that have a distinct, but subtle chocolate spice taste to them. Riffing on a cocktail devised by Tom of Craigie on Main, which featured aged dark rum and double the Cynar, the drink below has just the right amount of sweetness and heat from the bourbon, balanced by the bitterness of the Cynar and the bittersweet rhubarb/orange notes of the Aperol. The mole bitters drift in with a hint of floral chocolate in the finish. Yum!

The Mole Derby

1 1/2 oz. Kentucky bourbon
1/4 oz. Cynar
1/2 oz. Aperol
3/4 oz. Punt e Mes
1-2 dashes mole bitters

Stir over ice. Lemon oil rubbed on the rim of the glass.