Seven Long Years

This recipe comes from More Savory Goods' video, a recipe he calls a "savory and spicy margarita". Itself adapted from a recipe from Imbibe, it's a fascinating look at some unique ingredients and I put my own special little spin on it as well.

Enter Ancho Reyes Verde. It's a poblano pepper liqueur that's 40% ABV, making it...really strong for a liqueur, actually. This is the first alcohol I've had that is spicy, but you can genuinely taste the toasty notes of peppers in it, not just capsaicin. Roasted peppers are sliced and pureed, then macerated with neutral spirits until the essence of the pepper is captured. It's a one-of-a-kind ingredient that I've come to like since it joined my collection.

To accentuate the smokiness and keep it on theme with Mexico, I used Lalo for the tequila blanco. With only three ingredients, agave, yeast, and water, it's one of the simplest, purest tequilas and perfect for being the base of this cocktail. I'm also a huge fan of using sesame oil in cocktails as I just like sesame oil in general. More Savory Goods' version uses around 2-3 drops from what I can see, but the original recipe in Imbibe calls for 7 drops of it. I compromised in between at 5 drops. The sesame only further builds on the smokiness and I love how even just a few drops of it really gives it the aroma and makes a difference. Round it out with pineapple juice and agave syrup for some sweetness, and lime for the acidity, and you get a recipe that's spicy, smoky, and super complex.

For a garnish, the original recipe uses black sesame, but More Savory Goods uses a spicy furikake. I went with dried Italian pepper flakes since that's what I had on hand, but anything that elevates the presentation will work. It's important to have a large ice cube for this one, as it provides a large and flat enough surface for the garnish to sit on. Letting it float

on top of the cocktail sort of looks odd, and accidentally sucking up a pepper flake up while drinking it would probably not be a great experience. This cocktail goes great with any Mexican food and having it with some tripa and cabeza tacos is fantastic, but I've had it as is and it's just as good by itself.

I'll keep this post short, so in summary:

• 1 oz. blanco tequila

• 1 oz. Ancho Reyes Verde

• 3/4 oz. fresh pineapple juice

• 3/4 oz. fresh lime juice

• 3/4 oz. agave syrup

• 5 drops sesame oil

1. Pour all liquids into shaker

2. Use a milk frother to emulsify the sesame oil into the cocktail

3. Shake

4. Double strain into rocks glass with large ice

5. Garnish with either sesame seeds, dried chili peppers, or furikake