One of the last cocktails that I created before leaving Café Mexico, my Mexican bartender El Ari talked about tequila and cola in his home town called Charro Negra. I decided to give it a little update and created the Charro Blanco with clarified cola. It's a bit of a process but worth it for the results.

Charro Blanco

2 oz. Peloton de la Muertes

2 dashes of Ms. Better Bitters Lime Leaf Bitters

15mL of lime acid

Top up with House Made Cola (200mL of filtered syrup and 800mL of water in a soda siphon and charged)

GLASS – Highball

METHOD - Build over ice

GARNISH – Lime Wedge & pinch of moldon salt

KOLA SYRUP

4 zest oranges

4 zest of limes

2 zest of lemon

1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon

1 teaspoon powdered nutmeg

4 points star anise

1 teaspoon lavender flowers

2 teaspoons powdered kola nut

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 deseeded vanilla bean

1-liter water

1/2 teaspoon of citric acid

• Put on induction burner on MED-LO heat for 25-30 mins.
• Filter kola mix through rough to fine grade filters finishing with 4 coffee filters for final strain
• Return to same heat & add 1 KG of white sugar.