Hommage Recipe

Quick tincture (if using instead of commercial bitters)

Place 0.5 oz cacao nibs in a small jar and add 1 tablespoon high-proof neutral spirit. Seal and shake, then let sit for 1–4 hours at room temperature, shaking occasionally. Strain through a fine mesh or coffee filter into a small dropper bottle. Use 2 dashes per cocktail. Alternatively, if you have cacao nib bitters, use 2 dashes directly.

Chill a coupe or Nick & Nora glass by filling it with ice and setting aside.

Fill a mixing glass with plenty of ice.

Add Rémy Martin 1738 (1.75 oz), Mancino Rosso (0.75 oz), Cherry Heering (0.5 oz), cold-brew coffee concentrate (0.25 oz), and simple syrup (0.25 tsp) to the mixing glass.

Add 2 dashes of the cacao nib tincture or cacao nib bitters.

Stir the mixture briskly for 25–30 seconds (or until well chilled and diluted, about 20–25 revolutions) to integrate flavors and achieve proper dilution.

Discard ice from the chilled serving glass and fine-strain the cocktail from the mixing glass into the chilled coupe or Nick & Nora using a julep strainer and a fine mesh strainer to remove any small solids.

Express the oils of an orange peel over the surface of the cocktail by holding the peel with the outside facing down and giving a sharp squeeze so oils spray across the drink. Optionally, run the rim of the glass with the peel, then drop the twist onto the surface as garnish.

For an optional cacao-nib smoke finish: place a small pile of cacao nibs on a heatproof surface or in a smoking device, light briefly until they smolder, capture the smoke under an inverted glass or tin, then invert the glass over the cocktail to trap a light cacao smoke for 10–20 seconds. Lift and serve immediately.

Serve immediately and suggest sipping slowly to appreciate the layered cognac, herbal-sweet vermouth, cherry, coffee and cacao notes.