A very Arizona cocktail

Greetings from Tucson!

When Jeremy found the source of this bizarre "Box of Arizona" desert display — a rattlesnake, toad, tarantula, centipede, scorpion and an "armful of cactus" living together in a box with rocks, sand, and a thimble of water — one thought filled my head:

• Cocktail inspo!

I placed this culinary feat in the deft hands of bartender Ricky Varela at the historic Owls Club.

• He produced this beautiful, aperetif-wildfire of spice, bitterness, citrus, botanicals and yes, a bit of venom.

Without further ado, here are the flavors of Pima County's newest cocktail: The Sonoran Deathmatch.

• La Venenosa Puntas raicilla
• Cynar artichoke amaro
• Fernet Branca
• Juerte distillate of pulque
• Ming River Sichuan Bailie
• Campari
• Orange bitters
• A couple of drops of saline
• A squeeze of orange

How it works: Shake with ice, add an edible flower and sip at sunset.