Saturday, January 25, 2025

El Camino

 



Story
Lately I've taken an interest in mezcal, which is the blanket term for any agave distillate.  Tequila, for example, is a type of mezcal.  Mezcals are a broad category that’s often compared to wine because the type of agave, local soil content, plant ripeness, distillation method, and fermentation all play a part in the final product.  There are also ethical issues to consider, including sustainability and instances of exploitation of farmers by big companies.  Fortunately, there are lots of well-run producers to choose from.
This cocktail was created at the Chestnut Club in Santa Monica, CA, and published in Imbibe magazine.  Mezcal can be kind of a bully in cocktails, but the assertive rye goes toe-to-toe with it and the Benedictine helps dial the smokiness down from “a dragon’s breath in the morning” to “standing around a ski lodge fire”.  Enjoy this sipper.
 
Recipe
4 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
1 oz mezcal (I used Del Maguey Vida, a popular choice for cocktails)
1 oz rye (I used Rittenhouse)
0.5 oz Benedictine
Orange twist
-Stir ingredients with ice until chilled.  Strain into glass over fresh ice.  Garnish with orange twist.

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