Mezcalero

David A. Roth, Cask Bar & Kitchen, New York, NY, USA

“Meet the Mezcalero. This is a drink of mine that I am very proud of. The inspiration comes from the Far East, China to be exact. My inspiration was General Tso’s chicken. I was enjoying a plate of delicious, crispy, orange chicken. The sauce was so good and I thought, “Why can’t cocktails taste like this?” So I set out to make a delicious orange-flavored drink that had layers of flavor and would appeal to men and women. I had recently noticed that Cointreau was bottled at 80 proof and there were no cocktails that I knew of that used it as a base spirit. Next, I added a little Domaine de Canton because the ginger really complemented the orange liqueur and they were both French, they should get along well. Fresh lemon juice was added to brighten and grapefruit bitters for more citrus notes and complexity. Mezcal was added to give another dimension of flavor and aroma. An earthiness that took the drink to another level and after that, it could only be named the Mezcalero. I have to thank my friends and co-workers for their suggestions on the year-long evolution of this drink. Dan G., Josh P. and Naren Y.—this drink is amazing because of your support. Hope you like the Mezcalero as much as I do. Not bad for something that started with a mouthful of crispy, orange chicken. Cheers!” David A. Roth

45 ml (1.5 oz) Cointreau (Combier works well too)

15 ml (.50 oz) Domaine de Canton

15 ml (.50 oz) Vida Mezcal

22.5 ml (.75 oz) fresh lemon juice

2 dashes grapefruit bitters (Fee Brothers works well)

1 grapefruit twist, as garnish

Mezcal “Smoke”*, as garnish

Shake vigorously over ice for 10 seconds. Double-strain into a chilled cocktail glass or coupe. Squeeze the twist over the drink, then kiss the rim as well and add as garnish. Mist the Mezcal “Smoke” over the Mezcalero to let the guests know that something juicy, smoky and delicious is coming their way.

*Mezcal “Smoke” is simply Vida Mezcal in an atomizer. Hold a few inches up and away from the drink. Pump the atomizer once or twice at the most towards the drink and watch as the smoky mist falls on top of the glass.

gaz sez: I’ve been wondering how long it would take before someone started created cocktails based on Chinese food, and David just went and dun it. Nice one, sir! And I loved hearing how it all came together—this is a brill drink, indeed.

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