Licor 43 (cuarenta y tres)

A visual cure for a heatwave:

I think Martha Reeves would agree, don't you?

Hailing from Cartagena, Spain, Liquor 43 is a versatile sweet liqueur with vanilla, citrus and orange blossom- think Summer in the Mediterranean. A couple of Mondays ago, a great group of bartenders fought it out using it as a base at Moksa in Cambridge. The competitors in the ring: Josh Taylor Westbridge, Oronde Popplewell Moksa, Sam Gabrielli Russell House, Jason Kilgore Catalyst, Taso Papatsoris Casa B and Amber Schumaker Eastern Standard.

Judges Fred Yarm, Heather Kleinman and Jerry Knight picked the winner, Josh Taylor.

Here's the drink, like a grown up strawberry-rhubarb pie, ready for hot weather imbibing:

The Backyard Cocktail
1.5 oz Licor 43
.75 oz Rhubarb Shrub
.5 oz Strawberry Juice
.5 oz Lime Juice
Soda