Cutting Edge Cocktail — The Guillotine
Famously associated with the French Revolution, the guillotine is a device designed for a lethal purpose – beheading people. It is named for Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, who in 1789 recommended a new way to carry out executions swiftly and less painfully. The Guillotine cocktail is far less lethal and far more recent. In 2023 Yanni Kehagiaras in San Francisco created the Guillotine, and I discovered it thanks to Tonights Cocktail on Instagram.
The Guillotine
1.5 ounces mezcal
1 ounce Cynar
.5 ounces dry vermouth
Directions
Combine in a mixing glass with ice, stir with sharp precision, and strain into a chilled glass, preferably a coupe.
Like its namesake, the Guillotine is simple and efficient (but not deadly, unless you have way too many). Three ingredients in a 3:2:1 ratio. Mezcal, used in the Pura Vida and the Dead Poet (so life and death?), gives the Guillotine a smoky base. Cynar, an amaro used in drinks such as the Ce Soir, gives the Guillotine a slightly bittersweet edge. Does that combination seem intriguing or odd? For me the answer to that question was both. Last but not least is the dry vermouth, a critical component of the Martini. Here the vermouth harmonizes the other seemingly disparate ingredients.
Easy to, ahem, execute, the Guillotine is a cocktail that’s worthy of your time.