A lack of yellow chartreuse (because baby - chartreuse is expensive!) keeps me from replicating my favorite drink from that night (a Yellowjacket with mezcal, yellow chartreuse, and jalepeno infused goodness), but I was lucky enough to find Death and Co's beautiful book in our local library, and I found plenty of wonderful recipes in there (as well as a shout out to my alma mater in the form of a profile of Holy Cross priest and drink connoisseur Fr. Bill Dailey). The end of the book featured a whole set of riffs on classic drinks, with over four pages devoted to daiquiri variations. A daiquiri is a simple combination of good rum, simple syrup, and lime juice. Some of the riffs published by Death and Co. went far afield from that simple construction, but my favorite only added one ingredient: mezcal.
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| Ingredients on display. Note the sticky on my rum, explained in the notes section below. |
Mezcal, the native spirit of Oaxaca, Mexico, is made from the pina (nut) of the agave plant (unlike Tequila, which is made in Jalisco, and made exclusively from blue agave). Many of the native Mexican spirits are regulated by region. When Ann and I went to visit my parents for Christmas, they had just returned from Jalisco, the home of tequila. But the fine people of Jalisco also make a mezcal-like spirit, which they call Raicilla. Like mezcal, it is smoky and sweeter than tequila. It packs a punch, and not everyone loved the drinks I made using my bottle of raicilla. But substituting it for mezcal in the Oaxacan Daiquiri riff from Death & Co. was a wonderful application of this fine spirit.
Scotch haters, beware. This drink is equal parts tart, sweet, and smoky. Rum provides a strong backbone for a strong smoke flavor, which is mellowed by the sweet rum and simple syrup on the finish. My parents promptly turned up their noses to this drink, but I've found myself making this drink whenever I want something simple and flavorful. It will certainly be a staple in my home bar menu, and I hope you might try it out as well! The recipe for the Oaxacan Daiquiri follows.
In a Boston shaker, combine the following ingredients:
2 oz Pot Still Lightly Aged* Rum**
3/4 oz simple syrup
3/4 oz lime juice
1/4 oz mezcal or raicilla***
Shake over ice for 10 seconds, strain and serve up. Garnish with a lime wheel if you are feeling fancy and have company over. Omit if you are drinking alone in your basement while writing blog posts.
Notes:
*Ann got me a wonderful Tiki book for my birthday: Smuggler's Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki. They have their own helpful classification for various types rum, which I've found immensely helpful. I will try to use their system when making rum drinks on the blog in the future (and I'll feature one of their drinks next month, so get ready). If you notice the little sticky tab on my rum bottle (pictured above), this comes from their rum classification system, and it is really helpful!
**I used locally made Road's End Rum from Journeyman's Distillery. It is slightly overproof, and is excellent. It was actually recommended by the Smuggler's Cove folks in their book, so good on you Journeyman!
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| Ungarnished Oaxacan Daiquiri, because I made it alone in my basement while writing a blog post. |
***Mezcal is much more common in the US than Raicilla. But if you find yourself in Jalisco (say in Peurto Vallarta), pick yourself up a bottle. If using mezcal, make sure to avoid anything with a worm - its a cheap gimmick that is not representative of some of the fine mezcal now found stateside.
I hope you feel bold enough to enjoy your Oaxacan Daiquiri!
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