Here at Plum Joyful we are dedicated to a healthy lifestyle. And although cocktails aren’t exactly healthy, moderation is and sometimes you just want a cocktail! Fourth of July is days away, the weather is warm, and the idea of a cocktail amongst friends underneath a sky filled with fireworks is too good to resist. I also have been wanting to learn how to make a proper cocktail, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity. I turned to cocktail specialist Leandro DiMonriva, owner of The Vintage Bar Company. Vintage Bar Company is a cocktail catering company specializing in high end custom cocktail menus. He suggested this Mezcal cocktail as a great companion to a balmy night of fire works. Mezcal is Tequila’s sexy, smokey cousin. This drink adds a little sweet and a little spice to the smoke for a complex delicious drink your friends will love. Not to mention the crisp summer taste of lime. It is also very easy to make as far as cocktails go.

Mezcal Cocktail Ingredients

3/4 oz Fresh Lime juice

3/4 oz Honey Syrup (see recipe below)

2 oz Mezcal (1 1/2 if you want it less smokey)

Cayenne Pepper to garnish

Making the Honey Syrup

This is very simple to make. Take three parts honey and add one part HOT water. Mix, that’s it! Pure honey is too dense to mix with the citrus. You could use pure honey but it wouldn’t mix and would just settle in a glob at the bottom of your glass. It needs to be thinned out before adding it to the shaker.

 

Putting it all together

Combine ingredients in the shaker. Add four regular ice cubes or one KING CUBE.  The purpose of ice in a cocktail is to chill the drink but also to add water. That being said, you never want to add more than half an ounce of water. For this reason Leandro recommends the large ice cubes that will melt slower and prevent over-dilution. Plus they just look cool.

In fact he actually uses a giant block of ice that he chips chunks off with a beautiful vintage ice pick.

Shake, shake, shake. This aerates the drink and gives it a nice smooth foam on top.

Pour through a fine mesh strainer to catch any leftover ice chips or pulp (not a necessary step, but will give the cocktail a smoother texture).

By the way, he recommends using a cheaper brand of Mezcal for this drink, no need to spend a lot of money. The other ingredients really take over, and what you’re looking for is that smokey flavor which any Mezcal will give you. We used this one.

Garnish with cayenne pepper to your taste. A polite sprinkle for a little kick, or a generous pinch for some real fireworks.

There you have it!

Happy Fourth, be safe and INjoy!

xo