5 Mezcal Cocktails for Cinco de Mayo and Beyond
Photo via Sombra Mezcal
Cinco de Mayo is upon us. This year ditch the classic margarita and celebrate with a little mezcal, tequila’s smoky cousin.
Mezcal Negroni
Photo and recipe by Jim Sabataso, The Palms Restaurant, Rutland, VT
Ingredients
1 oz. Vida mezcal
1 oz. Cocchi di Torino
1/2 oz. dark crème de cacao
1/2 oz. Campari
Directions: Combine ingredients with a large ice cube in an old fashioned glass, and stir. Garnish with an orange peel.
Darkness at the Edge of Town
Photo and recipe by Jim Sabataso, The Palms Restaurant, Rutland, VT
Ingredients
2 oz. Vida mezcal
1 oz. Carpano Antica
1/2 oz. Luxardo Maraschino
2 dashes Angostura
2 dashes Peychaud’s
Directions: Stir ingredients with ice. Strain into martini glass. No garnish.
The Matador
Recipe by Anthony Nelson of The Anthony, NYC; Photo by Noah Fecks
Ingredients
2 oz. mezcal
3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
3/4 oz. Habanero honey*
Big pinch of cilantro leaves
2 dashes of Angostura bitters
Directions: Combine ingredients and shake vigorously with ice. Double strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange peel.
Habanero honey recipe
2 cups honey
2 cups water
5 habanero peppers, stemmed but not deseeded
Directions: Combine honey and water over heat and bring to a boil. Stir until dissolved. Add peppers, remove from heat, and cover. Let steep for 20 minutes. Strain and keep refrigerated.
Smoked Spring
Ingredients
1.5 oz. Sombra Mezcal
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. agave nectar
2 slices cucumber
2 mint sprigs
Directions: Muddle one cucumber slice and the leaves of one sprig of mint in a shaker tin. Add mezcal, lime juice, and agave nectar and shake with ice. Double strain into rocks glass over fresh ice. Dust top of second cucumber slice with salt. Garnish with the slice and sprig of mint.
An Orange in the Shade
Ingredients
2 oz. Sombra Mezcal
1 oz. fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 oz. fresh squeezed blood orange juice
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1-2 dashes of agave nectar
Directions: Combine all liquid ingredients, and shake with ice. Double strain into margarita glass over rocks. Garnish with blood orange wheel.
Jim Sabataso is a writer, journalist, and bar director for The Palms Restaurant Group in Rutland, Vermont. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @JimSabataso.