Circuit Breaker
Mezcal and amburana-aged cachaça split the base, with corn liqueur and Cynar behind them. Smoke, toasted wood, and a sweetcorn note you won’t see coming, all held down by bitterness.
Fair warning: this is the most demanding drink here. Nixta and Avuá Amburana aren’t bottles most home bars carry, and there’s no honest substitute for either. Worth knowing before you start, and worth it once you get there.
Circuit Breaker
Rocks · Large cube
Ingredients
- 1 ozLegendario Domingo espadin mezcal
- ¾ ozAvuá Amburana cachaça
- ½ ozNixta Licor de Elote corn liqueur
- ¼ ozCynar
- 1 dashAngostura bitters
- garnishOrange twist
Method
- 1Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and add ice.
- 2Stir for 20–25 seconds until well-chilled and properly diluted — the mezcal and cachaça need adequate stirring time to integrate fully.
- 3Strain over a single large ice cube in a rocks glass.
- 4Express the orange twist over the surface to release the oils, run it around the rim, and place it skin-side up on the drink.
History
Circuit Breaker is an original creation by Jack Stevenson of Death & Co Denver, dating to 2022. The drink draws on a Latin American split base — earthy espadin mezcal paired with amburana-aged cachaça — bridged by Nixta's silky corn sweetness and grounded by the bittersweet depth of Cynar and Angostura.
Avuá Amburana is doing a lot of structural work here — its toasted wood and vanilla character is what keeps the mezcal smoke from going rogue. Don't substitute a standard unaged cachaça; you'll lose the barrel warmth that holds the drink together. If you're dialing in the stir, err toward the longer end — 25 seconds — the Cynar and Nixta need the dilution to open up and stop reading as sweet on the finish.
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