Two new cocktails at Pearl Hour tell their own stories, as well as those of the ingredients.

There is not just a story behind every cocktail on the Pearl Hour menu, almost every ingredient comes with a narrative, as well. For example, the blend of Uncle Nearest rye and Uncle Nearest 1884 whiskey used in the cocktail dubbed Smoke Signal come from a brand related to Nearest Green, the first Black master distiller (he taught some guy named Jack Daniel all about making whiskey).

“These bottles represent what we do here,” says Pearl Hour owner Katie Blandin. She is devoted to artisanal products as well as herbs grown on site. “When you have good products, you don’t need many ingredients.”

Only four make up Smoke Signal, the last being a sprig of rosemary flamed just before presentation. “It leaves a trail of smoke as you bring it to the table,” observes bartender David Salgado, who created the cocktail.

Smoke Signal is rich with notations of honeyed oak and holiday spice, braced by an herbaceous bitter streak and that tingle of rosemary-hued smoke. It speaks of old ways and weary farms and the pause as night descends.

Smoke Signal is new to the Pearl Hour menu, as is the Mariposa, one of Blandin’s creations inspired by fresh jasmine. “Once they start blooming, it’s intoxicating,” she says. The cocktail is also haunting – jasmine-infused mezcal creates a delicate, floral specter that wisps and vanishes in a puff of smoke. There are impressions of cured fruits that flit over the palate. And the whole leaves your senses chasing what was there – stories given life in a glass.

PEARL HOUR, 214 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey. 657-9947, pearlhour.com