An Old-Fashioned variation from Sarah Morissey of NYC’s Frenchette that brings a bit of spice and smoke Splitting the base spirit allows for the addition of smoke and some subtle tropical aromas from the mezcal that complement the vanilla notes from the spiced syrup while the fresh cracked black pepper in the syrup and garnish mingle nicely with the oak spice and cinnamon notes in the bourbon and additional spices in the bitters 1.5 oz Bourbon (a bonded or overproof bottle lends a nice bit of spice) .5 oz Mezcal .25 oz black pepper syrup (1:1 granulated sugar and water with about 3 cracks of fresh black pepper per oz) 2 dashes Aromatic Bitters of choice (Angostura, Abbott’s, etc) 1 dash vanilla extract (can also scrape 1/2 vanilla bean pods into syrup) Stir with ice and strain into a chilled double rocks glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with a lime twist and fresh black pepper