The Tippling Bros. a Lime and a Shaker Read online

  You can also find us lingering, from time to time, in New York City subway stations—nothing creepy—listening to the amazing array of musicians plying their craft.

  * * *

  Ancient Up-and-Comers

  Tequila and mezcal have a firm (and growing) foothold in the States, but Mexico produces some other beautiful agave (and agavelike spirits) that will soon, hopefully, get their due as well.

  Sotol

  The state drink of Chihuahua, sotol is made from Dasilyrion wheeleri or desert spoon, and is a close relative of agave. The low-yielding plant takes up to fifteen years to mature, and is produced in a similar fashion to mezcal. Many are cooked in aboveground ovens, however, so its profile is more light, dry, and vegetal than smoky. There are few brands available in the States.

  Bacanora

  The state drink of Sonora—it received Denominación de Origen by the Mexican government in 2000—bacanora was illegal to produce until 1992, but has been made for three hundred years in and around the town of Bacanora, in the Sierra Madre of Sonora. Produced from a handful of agave types, including pacifica and vivipara, locally called yaquiana, it is crafted in a similar style to mezcal, in pits with wood charcoal.

  Raicilla

  Raicilla is a mezcal distilled in several, mostly coastal, areas of Jalisco, especially around Puerto Vallarta. Made from the local agave varieties lechuguilla and pata de mula, raicilla is not heavily regulated, and neither has a Denominación de Origen nor Norma Oficial Mexicana designation as tequila and bacanora do. Like tequila, the agave is cooked in aboveground ovens without charcoal, so there is little to no smokiness.

  * * *

  What’s the Deal with Distilling?

  After agave finishes fermentation, it is ready to undergo the ancient art of distillation, the simple process wherein alcohol and water are separated. Because alcohol evaporates at 172°F and water at 212°F, we are able to trap the resultant vapors, cooling them back into liquid and thus separating them from the water.

  There are different ways of accomplishing this important task. One is via the traditional alembic—also called pot—still route. Most alembic stills, which reached Mexico from Spain, are made from copper and flaunt curving swan necks. This is the oldest form of distillation, and its popularity spread rapidly during the Middle Ages. In general, pot stills will yield alcohols that are heavier and that retain more of the original character of their main ingredients. In contrast is the column still, tall and crafted from shiny stainless steel. Although this is a more modern and consistent technology, both stills will yield great results depending upon the type of spirit desired. Many tequilas are double pot-distilled and although some brands brag about being thrice-distilled, the general rule of thumb is the more you distill, the cleaner and lighter the style.

  Bold Drinking

  Now that sipping on fine, artisanal mezcal is a growing trend, adventurous drinkers may just be ready to embrace weirdly delicious pechuga, an annual ritual that embraces the season’s bounty of ripe fruits. Typically made in small batches from carefully guarded family recipes, pechuga is a longtime tradition in which double-distilled mezcal makes a third run with wild fruits like apples and plums, grains and—this is the part where vegetarians might quiver—a raw, skinless chicken breast; sometimes turkey, duck, or even iguana is used. Yep. Iguana. The reason for placing meat, bones intact and suspended inside the still? To balance out those robust fruit flavors. Afterward, it presides over the family altar. Our friends at Del Maguey and Fidencio both make delicious versions of this.

  * * *

  The Tippling Bros. Guide to Tequila and Mezcal Brands

  Listed herein are a number of tequilas and mezcals. Take a walk down the spirits aisles of your favorite store or peruse the back of a tequila bar and you’ll know that there are a couple of hundred more brands to choose from. Tequila, specifically premium, ultra-premium, and luxury marques of the 100 percent blue agave variety, have surged in popularity in the past several years, and there is now a glut of brands on the American market.

  The ones we’ve listed here are brands that we have used in cocktails in our restaurants, in our consulting work, or that are regarded by our peers and colleagues as high quality. Some of these brands we love. Some of these brands we like. All of these brands make for balanced cocktails and represent good value. Unless we really believe that a certain cocktail requires a particular tequila or mezcal, or if a cocktail was contributed by a colleague who feels the same, we have elected to list only the age/style of the juice in our cocktail recipes. Also, there are tequilas we enjoy sipping that are not on this list, due to the fact that, in our estimation, they are cost-prohibitive for use in cocktails. Obviously the nuances of the drinks will change with different spirits as their bases. We will leave it up to you, gentle reader, to experiment and determine which you like in your cocktails at home or behind your bar. Have fun. Call us if you need a tie-breaker.

  4 Copas

  Arette

  Avión

  Azuñia

  Cabeza

  Cabrito

  Camarena

  Casa Noble

  Casa Sauza

  Cazadores

  Centinela

  Chamucos

  Chinaco

  Clase Azul

  Corazón

  Don Eduardo

  Don Fulano

  Don Julio

  Dulce Vida

  El Charro

  El Jimador

  El Tesoro

  Espolón

  Excellia

  Fortaleza

  Frida Kahlo

  Gran Centenario

  Herradura

  Hornitos

  Jose Cuervo Tradicional

  Milagro

  Muchoté

  Olmeca Altos

  Orendain Ollitas

  Oro Azul

  Partida

  Pueblo Viejo Real Hacienda

  Regional

  San Matias

  Sauza

  Siembra Azul

  Siete Leguas

  Tapatio

  Tequila Ocho

  Tres Generaciones

  ***Mezcals***

  Del Maguey

  El Buho

  Fidencio

  Ilegal

  Montelobos

  Patrón Rosa

  Pierde Almas

  Silencio

  Sombra

  Tippling Bros. Margarita

  2 ounces blanco tequila

  1 ounce fresh lime juice

  ½ ounce Grandma Mix

  ½ ounce agave nectar

  OLD-FASHIONED

  Half rim of kosher salt

  What follows is our quintessential Margarita recipe. It is one that was born out of a significant amount of hours, not all consecutive, of trial and error: (Born out of) worn-out shakers; callused, cracked, and stinging hands; and tired, but very happy, palates. (Born out of) drinking myriad Margaritas in a multitude of bars around the world—some good, some bad, some ethereal. (Born out of) cerebral discussions with colleagues about booze and limes. It is the standard recipe we serve at all our Mercadito restaurants, and it makes many people smile. (In fact, we serve six thousand a month.) It’s got just enough orange flavor and aroma to keep it interesting, while letting the tequila be the star.

  Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and shake as if being chased by seven demons.

  Strain over fresh ice in an old-fashioned glass, half-rimmed with salt.

  Watermelon Hibiscus Margarita

  2 ounces Hibiscus-Infused Blanco Tequila

  1 ounce fresh watermelon juice (see Tipps’ Tip)

  1 ounce fresh lime juice

 
¾ ounce Simple Syrup

  OLD-FASHIONED

  Rim of kosher salt and a watermelon slice

  A beautifully vibrant and colorful cocktail. Hibiscus, or Jamaica, gives this cocktail a floral character and lots of zingy tartness. This is a perfect party drink to make in batches and serve from a large jar or pitcher. Makes a great base for an agua fresca as well.

  Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and shake.

  Strain over fresh ice in an old-fashioned glass rimmed with salt and garnished with the watermelon slice.

  Tipps’ Tip: As an alternative to adding watermelon juice directly to the drink, freeze watermelon juice in square ice cube trays and fill the glass with the cubes.

  Blood Orange-Cinnamon Margarita

  2 ounces blanco tequila

  ½ ounce fresh lime juice

  ¾ ounce fresh blood orange juice

  ¾ ounce Cinnamon Syrup

  OLD-FASHIONED

  A fresh blood orange slice

  The Margarita takes a “bittersweet” cold weather spin. Blood oranges are available in winter and early spring throughout most of the country. Get warm.

  Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and strain over fresh ice in an old-fashioned glass.

  Garnish with the slice of fresh blood orange.

  Tipps’ Tip: As an alternative to making Cinnamon Syrup, and for a bit more dramatic presentation, substitute plain simple syrup for the cinnamon-infused syrup and rim the glass with a salt of equal parts kosher salt and freshly grated cinnamon and a half part of granulated white sugar.

  Savory Strawberry Margarita

  2 ounces blanco tequila

  ¼ ounces Simple Syrup

  2 ripe strawberries

  1 ounce fresh lime juice

  1 pinch ground cumin

  1 cup ice

  tall

  Fresh strawberry slices and a pinch of ground cumin

  Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

  Pour into a tall glass.

  Garnish with the fresh strawberry slices and dust with an additional pinch of cumin.

  2 ounces blanco tequila

  ½ ounce mezcal

  1 ounce fresh lime juice

  ½ ounce Grandma Mix

  ½ ounce agave nectar

  OLD-FASHIONED

  Half rim of kosher salt

  Because mezcal makes everything better. Use a robust, smoky mezcal like Sombra or Del Maguey Chichicapa.

  Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and shake as if being chased by seven demons.

  Strain over fresh ice in an old-fashioned glass half-rimmed with salt.

  2 ounces 100 percent agave tequila

  1 ounce fresh lime juice

  ½ ounce agave nectar

  OLD-FASHIONED

  Created by our friend Julio Bermejo, owner of Tommy’s in San Francisco,tequilier and agave ambassador to the world. The Margarita should always be a celebration of great tequila, and the Tommy’s Margarita is exactly that: simple, easy, and a celebration in spades.

  “The power and simplicity of the Tommy’s is that it was the first Margarita recipe to focus on 100 percent agave tequila and focus on the flavor and style of the particular tequila chosen. By using this recipe, Tommy’s did away with the notion of ‘house’ margarita and ‘top shelf.’ Every Margarita we made, whether or not it was the least expensive, would have been considered top shelf anywhere else. To a great degree, 100 percent agave tequila was still a novelty for most bars and Mexican restaurants.”

  —Julio Bermejo

  Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and shake.

  Strain over fresh ice in an old-fashioned glass.

  Smoke and Spice

  2 ounces Del Maguey Vida mezcal

  1 ounce brewed hibiscus tea

  ¼ ounce fresh lemon juice

  ¼ ounce soda water

  coupe

  A lemon wheel

  This recipe comes courtesy of our great friend Todd Thrasher, the self-described “liquid savant” behind the Alexandria, Virginia–based Eat Good Food Group, which includes Restaurant Eve, Society Fair, The Majestic, Eamonn’s, T.N.T., and PX.

  Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and shake.

  Double strain into a coupe glass.

  Garnish with the lemon wheel.

  Double strain your cocktails to ensure that they are devoid of extraneous ice chips and unwanted particles.

  Tres Viejos

  1 (1-inch) chunk fresh navel or Valencia orange

  1 (1-inch) chunk fresh grapefruit

  2 ounces blanco tequila

  1 ounce Honey Syrup

  1 ounce fresh lime juice

  3 dashes El Yucateco green habanero hot sauce

  OLD-FASHIONED

  The first drink we created in honor of the Brothers Sandoval, the masterminds behind Mercadito restaurants, is simple and delicious. The three “old guys,” a Mexican colloquialism for friends, are the triumvirate of lime, orange, and grapefruit. Honey—local and raw works best—rounds it out, while green habanero hot sauce keeps it interesting.

  Muddle the orange and grapefruit in an old-fashioned glass.

  Add the remaining ingredients and ice, pour into a cocktail shaker, and shake.

  Pour all into the old-fashioned glass.

  Raise a toast to old people.

  Tipps’ Tip: Muddled Thoughts

  The muddler is a long stick, generally made of wood, stainless steel, or some sort of plastic. They come in a variety of sizes but should be at least 8 to 10 inches. Muddlers are used to pulverize fruit, bruise herbs, and create a paste from granulated sugar and water or juice. They can also be used to adjust the attitudes of surly guests or to thwart would-be pickpockets. The generic varnished muddlers should never be used. Varnish comes off during use. Take a guess where it goes? When muddling citrus enough pressure needs to be used to extract the juice but not so much that the skin is mashed, as it will release too much of the bitter oil. When muddling herbs, only very gentle pressure is required. The aim is to break the veins in the leaf, releasing the aromatic oils. Three or four taps with the muddler should do it. The aim is not to puree the herbs into minute particles. Also, most herbs will turn black and bitter if over-muddled. And little mint flecks between the teeth are nasty; no one looks sexy with “Mojito Mouth.”

  1½ ounces reposado tequila

  ½ ounce Amontillado sherry

  ¼ ounce Art in the Age Root liqueur

  ¼ ounce crème de cassis, preferably Mathilde or Merlet

  2 dashes Bitter End Mexican Mole Bitters

  1 arbol chile

  OLD-FASHIONED

  An orange twist

  Lots of what we call barrel spice in this one. This is a complex, luxurious cocktail meant to be sipped. A cigar wouldn’t be a bad idea.

  Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass.

  Add ice and stir.

  Double strain over large cubes of fresh ice in an old-fashioned glass. Express the oils from the orange twist over the drink and drop in.

  Make in batches and store in bottles in the fridge or to give to friends.

  1¾ ounces reposado tequila

  ¼ ounce Amontillado sherry

  1 ounce Saffron-Infused Yellow Pepper Puree