Understory's Satanic Nightjar

Scott Slater

• Scott Slater
• Understory
• 12841 El Camino Real, Suite 209-210
• Carmel Valley

The hunt for a spooky cocktail brought me to Understory, the central bar within Sky Deck at Del Mar Highlands Town Center. Explains bartender Scott Slater, “The Sky Deck, if you haven’t heard before, is a collection of full-service restaurants. Unlike most food halls you’ve been to, which are typically take-out restaurants.”

On the day I visit, it’s a bit too early to celebrate All Hallows’ Eve, but he informs me of the party set for October 30th. “It’s going to be Squid Game-themed. There will be $4.56 shots, we’re starting at 4:56pm, and they’ll be a little more themed to Halloween.” To appease my seasonal thirst in the meantime, he suggests the Satanic Nightjar, a year-round drink that fits the holiday in name and color, at least. “It’s orange. ‘Satanic.’ ... Halloween,” observes Slater.

He explains the whole vibe of Understory. “The understory is the layer of the forest — not the forest floor, not the canopy — it’s that in-between layer. And that’s the dimly lit space within the forest that has all the action, all the life. So, all of our cocktails are all named after species that thrive within the understory layer of the forest.”

The Satanic Nightjar cocktail is named after “a species of bird, in Indonesia I believe,” he says, sliding me a tall orange drink, decorated with a dehydrated grapefruit slice and an aromatic kaffir lime leaf. “It features flavors of turmeric, ginger, tamarind, chile and lemongrass… And these are all ingredients you would find in that southeast Asia, tropical part of the world.”

He continues, “I started with the names of the species that we wanted to use [for drink names], and then tried to find ingredients and inspirations that go with that cocktail. All those flavors came together and it’s a really fun drink. It’s a sweet, spicy and herbal cocktail all in one. This has a few different layers that you’ll get from start to finish. You’ll get that botanical, the sweet, and right at the end you’ll get a little bit of that small, smoky kick from the chile.”

Slater uses cocktail syrup made by local company Curious Juniper. “They literally started when we opened up. We were their first customers,” he says. “This syrup she made specifically for us.”

Gin is the spirit of choice for this recipe. “It’s not a typical gin drink that’s overwhelming with either tonic or heavy alcohol. Fords gin is a more botanical gin, so the florals of the gin are what come through. It definitely has some sweet, it definitely has some spicy. Anybody who’s looking to enjoy some complexities in a cocktail, this is a good experimental cocktail for you.”

Understory's Satanic Nightjar

• Understory’s
• Satanic Nightjar
• 2 oz. Fords gin
• 3/4 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. honey syrup
• 1/2 oz. ginger-tumeric syrup
• 1/2 oz. tamarindo-chile syrup

• Mix ingredients in a shaker tin with crushed ice, then dirty dump into glass. Spritz with lemongrass and top with soda water. Garnish with grapefruit wheel and kaffir lime leaf.