RECIPE: Margarita de Jamaica / Hibiscus Margarita

Agua de Jamaica is the lemonade of Mexico. The pitcher is prepared daily and is a tangy thirst quencher that graces kitchen counters across the country. The tea is made from dried Hibiscus flowers and sugar to taste.

Now, let’s elevate this a couple notches with booze.

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This version is your classic Margarita but with the addition of Jamaica syrup instead of agave nectar, which adds a tangy, floral, richness. Rimmed with Poctli’s comal roasted, Sal de Jamaica, this cocktail is an elegant pre-dinner surprise that will have your guests obsessing over the color and unique texture of the jamaica.

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces Mezcal or Tequila

• 1.5 ounces Hibiscus syrup (see below)

• 1 ounce lime juice

• Salt for the rim

• Lime slice garnish

• Seltzer water

Method:

1. Make the Hibiscus syrup by boiling 1/4 cup of dried jamaica blossoms in 1 cup of water with 1/4 cup of sugar. Simmer on medium-low heat until reduced to a thin syrup, roughly 10-15 minutes. Strain out the blossoms and cool to room temperature.

2. Combine mezcal, jamaica, lime juice in a shaker with ice. Shake until a thick foam appears on the top of the surface.

3. Dip the glasses into lime juice and then into the salt.

4. Pour the mixture into a glass with crushed ice and top with a splash of seltzer water. Garish and enjoy!
   

RECIPE: Pride Pineapple Mule Cocktail

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Happy Pride! It's a good year to be gay and orgulloso! This cocktail is my interpretation of a refreshing Pride after a long day in the sun. With the Morris Kitchen Ginger syrup and the Los Amantes (the lovers in Spanish) this cocktail follows the tradition of the mezcal mule, but with pineapple to make you sweeter. The comal roasted pineapple and spicy ginger dance on the palette, invoking the subtle smoke in the mezcal.

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Comal Roasted Pineapple

Makes one cocktail

Ingredients:

• Pineapple, sliced in 1 inch thick rings, rind on

• 2 teaspoons Morris Kitchen Ginger Syrup

• 1 ounce lime juice

• 2 ounces Los Amantes Mezcal Joven

• splash of seltzer water

• candied ginger and pineapple leaf as garnish

Method:

1. On a comal over medium high heat, roast the pineapple slices until black and charred. Cut away the rind and core, and blend with 2 ounces of water for 3 minutes, alternating between high and low speeds. Filter the juice through a fine mesh stainer to remove the pulp.

2. Add crushed ice to a shaker and add ginger syrup, 4 ounces of roasted pineapple juice, lime juice, mezcal. Shake thoroughly.

3. Pour into a glass and top with a splash of seltzer. Garnish with candied ginger and pineapple leaf.

RECIPE: Cucumber Mezcal Margarita

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Cucumber Mezcal Margarita

When I think of a refreshing cocktail, I immediately think of cucumbers, lemon, ice. Native to India, cucumbers were brought to New Spain post-conquest. This Old World squash is high in moisture and I prefer the English variety for cocktails as the sugar content tends to be higher, meaning a sweeter cocktail without additives. Leave the skin on the cucumber, it will add a lovely green hue to the drink.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 5 inch piece of English cucumber, cut into cubes

• 3 ounces lime juice

• 1.5 ounces lemon juice

• 1.5 ounces agave nectar

• 4 ounces Casamigos Mezcal

• 10 Chili pequin or 3 chili de arbol toasted on a comal until fragrant OR Poctli Sal De Muchos Chiles

• crushed ice

Method:

1. Add the cucumber, lime juice, lemon juice, and agave nectar to a blender and blend thoroughly for 3 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.

2. Pour the mezcal and cucumber mixture into a shaker and shake.

3. Squeeze lime juice onto a plate, dip the glass rim into the lime juice and then the chili powder to rim the edge.

4. Add crushed ice to the glass and pour the cucumber mixture over and serve. Garish with another slice of cucumber.

MEZCAL REVIEW: Banhez Mezcal Artesenal

This is my favorite ensamble mezcal for the price. Banhez' melange of 90% espadin and 10% barril agaves give a unique profile to the alcohol. A collective group of 20 families from the town of San Miguel Ejutla in the central valley of Oaxaca collaborate on this special distillation. The piñas are roasted in underground wood-fired pits, mashed using donkey-pulled tahonas, and finally fermented in wooden tanks and distilled in copper alembics.

This mezcal has tasting notes of roasted pineapple, with the woody goodness of the barril agave in the middle notes, finishing with a subtle floral note on the nose. This is my favorite mezcal for the price for sipping, and also is an excellent mixing mezcal for cocktails.

NOM: NOM-O96X

State: Oaxaca

Town: San Miguel Ejutla

Agave: Espadin, Barril

Style: Joven

Price: $

Distillation: Copper

ABV: 42%

Release year: 2017

Website: http://www.cnibrands.com/banhez-mezcal-artesanal/

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RECIPE: Paloma Cocktail

TORONJA

GRAPEFRUIT

Pink. Salty. Sweet. This is the perfect cocktail and is as common as the Margarita in Mexico. This recipe will cleanse your guest's palates and grapefruits are in season - so get squeezing! This is a lover's drink.

Ingredients:

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• 5.5 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 2 ounces Bahnez mezcal
• 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• splash of sparkling soda

Method:

1. Prepare a highball glass by dipping the rim into 1/2 ounce grapefruit juice, and then dipping it into the salt. Fill the glass with crushed ice
2. Mix the remaining grapefruit juice, mezcal, lime juice, sugar in a shaker. Shake until combined.
3. Pour over the ice and pour a splash of sparkling soda. Garnish with a grapefruit or lime wedge.