Xibalba Savior

A couple weeks ago the Thursday Drink Night (TDN) was sponsored by Crystal Head Vodka. My first submission was the Skulduggery, here was my second drink:

Xibalba Savior

• ¾ oz crystal head vodka
• ¾ oz dolin blanc
• ¾ oz Xtabentún
• ¾ oz lemon
• 2 dashes grapefruit bitters

Shake, strain, lemon twist garnish

Xtabentún is a Mayan anise and honey liquor, and I picked up this bottle earlier this year when I was down in the Yucatán.  (Best Scuba diving I've ever done was on the Palancar Reef off Cozumel, btw.)  I based this drink on the Corpse Reviver #2.  My line of thinkig was that the anise notes from the Xtabentún could sub for the absinthe, and the honey might make a nice sub for the Cointreau.  Plus I thought the Corpse Theme went with the Crystal Skull name.   Xibalba (shee bal bah) is the Mayan underworld.  After death, the soul was believed to go to Xibalba, a place of fright where sinister gods tested and tricked their unfortunate visitors.  So I figured being saved from Xibalba is analogous to being a revived corpse, sorta, thus the name.  It is a pleasant enough drink, but lacks some of the depth of flavor of the Corpse Reviver #2 it was based upon.  But good enough to mix it up as a change of pace once in a while.  For reference, here's the original recipe:

Corpse Reviver #2

• ¾ oz gin
• ¾ oz Lillet blanc
• ¾ oz Cointreau
• ¾ oz lemon
• 2 dashes absinthe
  

Shake, strain, lemon twist garnish