SMOKE BREAK 10.4%

For those who refuse to wait until sunset to enjoy mezcal, Smoke Break is a gentle rebellion, turning the late-night ritual into an all-day pleasure.

Three Mezcals, Suze, Lillet Blanc, Black Cardamom Kombucha

1L bottle (serves 11 Cocktails à 9cl)

ABV: 10,4%

The story:

If Empower the Paloma cocktail was about giving strength to something gentle, Smoke Break was the opposite, about softening something wild.

It started with mezcal, that untamed spirit that fills every room it enters. Damian has always loved mezcal, its smoke, its fire, its poetry, but it was always too strong, too final. He wanted a version that would not end the night but carry it forward, something he could drink at 3am or 3pm, something that would lift instead of weigh down.

So Damian took the white mezcal negroni, once sitting proudly at 28% ABV, and began to reverse-engineer it. He stripped it down layer by layer, searching not for intensity but for balance, clarity, and calm. The goal was to keep the character of mezcal, but allow it to breathe, to show a softer side that still carried its soul.

He built flavour where alcohol was lost, blending three different mezcals to create depth without heaviness, smoke without burn. To that, he added black cardamom kombucha, bringing another dimension of aroma, a quiet, lingering smoke that feels more like reflection than fire. Suze entered next, adding a touch of bitterness and Lillet Blanc followed, brightening the mix and wrapping it all in a soft floral balance.

The result was the lightest cocktail in Damian’s portfolio, just above 10% ABV, yet full of layers, texture, and meaning.

Smoke Break became a meditation in liquid form, a mezcal cocktail for those who love mezcal, but also love to pause, to breathe, to reflect.