Hundreds of classic tiki specs end with the same 1-2 punch: a dash of aromatic bitters and a whisper of absinthe. It's also the easiest place to wreck the drink — one errant drop of absinthe and everything tastes like licorice regret. Xtabay is that 1-2 punch pre-balanced in one bottle: sour cherry for tartness, cardamom, clove, and cinnamon for the savory middle, fennel and aniseed carrying the absinthe register, gentian underneath, and — the secret that makes it work — cracked black peppercorn, which lifts every other aromatic and keeps the flavor standing long into the sip. All of it steeped in aged overproof rum.

Reach for it anywhere the old books say “bitters and absinthe”: extra zip in a Zombie, a jazzed-up Jet Pilot, a 151 Swizzle where the herbs hold the heat in check. Same promise as its sibling — three dashes will do — and the same precision dasher top, so your aim is as good as the blend.