Midnight Oil

Work hard, sip harder — the drink that keeps the flame alive.

A smoky, warming cocktail built for the late-night grind, the Midnight Oil layers peaty Scotch and cold-brew coffee for depth and focus, with a slow-drizzled honey-sesame oil float that evokes a literal oil lamp glowing in the dark. It's rich, complex, and quietly caffeinated — the perfect companion when the rest of the world has gone to sleep.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz peaty Scotch whisky (e.g. Laphroaig 10)
• 0.5 oz dark rum (e.g. Diplomático Reserva)
• 0.75 oz cold-brew coffee concentrate
• 0.5 oz Kahlúa (coffee liqueur)
• 0.25 oz honey syrup (2:1 honey to water)
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 dash black walnut bitters
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil (for float)
• Large single ice cube

Instructions

1. Make the honey syrup: combine 2 parts honey with 1 part hot water, stir until dissolved, and let cool.
2. In a mixing glass, combine the Scotch, dark rum, cold-brew concentrate, Kahlúa, honey syrup, Angostura bitters, and black walnut bitters.
3. Add ice to the mixing glass and stir for 30–40 seconds until well chilled and properly diluted.
4. Place one large, clear ice cube into a rocks glass.
5. Strain the cocktail over the large ice cube.
6. Using the back of a bar spoon, slowly float the teaspoon of toasted sesame oil over the surface of the drink so it rests like a shimmering oil slick on top.
7. Express the oils from a wide orange peel over the glass, then lay the peel inside the rim.
8. Light the tip of a fresh rosemary sprig, let it flame for 2 seconds, blow it out, and rest it across the rim so aromatic smoke drifts over the drink.
9. Serve immediately — let the drinker break the oil surface with their first sip.