For this white negroni variation, Death & Co LA’s Edwin Rios wanted to combine the flavors of various corn-based dishes—including esquites, masa, champurado, and atole—that he grew up with while reimagining the flavors or huitlacoche, the tasty fungus that grows on corn cobs. The drink’s bright, unmistakably corn-y flavor comes from Nixta Licor de Elote, a complex, sweet-savory liqueur made with a combination of raw, roasted, and nixtamalized corn. After many rounds of iteration—the drink was originally a boulevardier riff using bourbon, amaro, and Nixta—Edwin landed on the marriage of reposado tequila, Salers Gentian Apéritif, and a touch of mezcal, with a dash of spice-forward Moroccan bitters to bind all of the flavors together.