Jordan got first place in the November /r/cocktails competition where the required ingredients were absinthe and an amaro. At the moment of making this, Jordan only had 2 examples of what I could call an amaro: Fernet-Branca and Cynar. He’d been making tons of Cynar drinks lately, so he decided to go with the Fernet and began thinking of what else could pair with it and the absinthe. Jordan had a virgin bottle of crème de cacao that he’d been meaning to try out and thought that would be a great addition. He started thinking about boozy stirred drinks since the weather was cooling off, and so he added some sweet vermouth. Luckily, he had Carpano Antica on hand which he knew would pair beautifully with chocolate. All that was left was the base spirit, and he went with one of my favorites in Bertoux brandy with its surprising cocoa notes and smooth taste. Jordan really struggled with naming this one. On paper, he thought the menthol notes of the Fernet would be more obvious. With that and the brandy, he thought about a Stinger. What do you get when you add more “body” to a stinger? Why, a whole stinging insect, of course! Hence “Vespid,” the family of insects including many wasps. Now, it turns out that the menthol isn’t as obvious as he expected, but it was the perfect amount for the final drink, and the name is so cool that he dared not change it; so, “Vespid” remains. As the weather cools off a bit, I’m drawn to these kinds of boozy, stirred drinks. This represents one of my favorite kinds of those: the dessert drink that has enough complexity (and bitterness) to complement its apparent sweetness. Please enjoy this rich, chocolatey nightcap! You won’t be sorry!