The Tippling Bros. a Lime and a Shaker Read online

  ½ ounce Simple Syrup

  ½ ounce fresh lemon juice

  cocktail

  Rim of Strawberry-Fennel Salt and a sliver of yellow bell pepper

  A nod to conquest, inspired by the south of Spain—its people, culture, food, and fortified wine. This is a complex, savory cocktail that some would describe as “culinary” in style.

  Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and shake.

  Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass with the Strawberry-Fennel Salt rim.

  Garnish with the julienne of yellow bell pepper.

  Tequila Negroni

  1½ ounces blanco tequila

  1 ounce Campari

  1 ounce sweet vermouth

  rocks or tumbler

  An orange slice

  Okay, so we know that when you change the sum of the parts the whole becomes something entirely different. Were this our invention we might have decided to rename it. This is not of our devising, but it is our rendition.

  Pour all the ingredients over large cubes of ice in a rocks glass or tumbler and stir thoroughly.

  Garnish with the orange slice.

  Tequila Last Word

  1 ounce blanco tequila

  ¾ ounce Green Chartreuse

  ½ ounce maraschino liqueur

  ¾ ounce fresh lime juice

  coupe

  La última palabra. A take on potentially the best use of the ancient liqueur Green Chartreuse in a cocktail. Ever.

  Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass.

  Add ice and stir until thoroughly chilled.

  Strain into a chilled coupe glass.

  Crippler

  1 ounce Stroh Jagertee liqueur

  ¾ ounce bonded rye whiskey

  ¾ ounce Rhum J.M Gold or gold agricole rhum

  ½ ounce smoky mezcal

  ¼ ounce Yellow Chartreuse

  2 dashes Bitter End Memphis Barbeque Bitters

  cocktail

  None needed when getting crippled

  When we opened the Tippler, in the basement of New York’s Chelsea Market, we wanted to pay homage to a gone-but-not-forgotten watering hole of the same name that was a local après-ski lair in Aspen, Colorado. Thanks to our great friend Jimmy Yeager, owner and proprietor of Jimmy’s in downtown Aspen, we learned the bar was known as a place where regulars would get quite inebriated. Smashed, in fact. So trashed would folks get that it actually garnered the nickname, “the Crippler.” We knew when we crafted the namesake cocktail that it had to have the same effect. Devising a cocktail both potent and pleasing to the palate, we thought we had a novelty on our hands more than anything else. We got more than we bargained for, as the Crippler quickly became one of our best-selling cocktails. While it might be a stretch to call it a Mexican cocktail, it is indeed a delicious one. Heady, smoky, and spicy with a full body and a balancing touch of sweetness, it lives up to its name: it will mess you up real good.

  Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass.

  Stir thoroughly and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

  Yes, greasy eggs will help alleviate that afternoon hangover, but one of our favorite ways to ease heavy heads is with a michelada, the brunch staple that elevates an everyday beer with lime, salt, and hot sauce.

  There are a couple schools of thought when it comes to the michelada—mi chela helada or “my cold beer”—and there are a multitude of “the best” recipes or methods to make them. Ours is simple and boldly flavored. Following the basic recipe are a handful of fun, unique, and rather tasty variations on the theme.

  Tippling Bros. Michelada

  ¾ ounce Michelada Mix

  ¾ ounce fresh lime juice

  1 (12-ounce) beer of choice

  pilsner

  Rim of kosher salt and a lime wedge

  Pour the Michelada Mix and fresh lime juice over ice in a salt-rimmed pilsner glass.

  Slowly fill with the beer and stir.

  Garnish with the lime wedge.

  2 cups Worcestershire sauce

  ½ ounce Tabasco

  For a more intense michelada, add more Tabasco.

  Mix both the ingredients in a mixing glass.

  Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

  MAKES APPROXIMATELY 2 CUPS

  1 (12-ounce) beer of choice

  1 ounce Clamato

  ½ ounce fresh lime juice

  4 dashes Maggi sauce

  2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

  2 dashes Búfalo Salsa Picante Clasica Hot Sauce (see Tipps’ Tip)

  pilsner

  Rim of kosher salt

  Clamato is both popular in Mexican micheladas and the Bloody Caesars our Northern neighbors love.

  Pour all the ingredients over ice in a pilsner glass rimmed with salt.

  Stir gently to incorporate.

  Tipps’ Tip: One of our favorite hot sauces is Búfalo Salsa Picante Clasica, a staple at Mexican grocery stores and delis. Made with mildly sweet guajillo chiles, it’s rich and earthy with a zingy fruitiness. We like to drop some into a Pacifico.

  Kermich

  4 to 5 ounces lager, preferably Dos Equis or Modelo Especial

  2 ounces Cucumber–Hoja Santa Juice

  ½ ounce agave nectar

  ½ ounce fresh lime juice

  2 dashes El Yucateco green habanero hot sauce

  pilsner

  Rim of Cumin Salt and a cucumber wheel

  It may not be easy being green, but it takes very little effort to fall in love with this guy. If you can’t get your hands on hoja santa, try substituting fresh basil, oregano, or mint.

  Pour all the ingredients over ice in a pilsner glass rimmed with Cumin Salt.

  Stir gently to incorporate.

  Garnish with the cucumber wheel.

  Tikimich

  2 chunks fresh pineapple

  1 ounce fresh lime juice

  ½ fresh serrano chile, with seeds

  ½ ounce Mexican Spiced Syrup

  1 pinch Pico Piquin, plus extra for garnish

  4 to 5 ounces lager

  pilsner

  A pineapple wedge and cinnamon bark

  If pirates drank beer, they would reach for this lighter version of the El Pirata.

  Muddle the pineapple chunks with the lime juice and serrano chile in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.

  Add the syrup and Pico Piquin and shake.

  Strain over ice in a pilsner glass.

  Fill with the lager and stir.

  Garnish with the pineapple wedge, cinnamon bark, and extra Pico Piquin.

  2 bite-size fresh watermelon chunks

  ½ ounce fresh lime juice

  ½ ounce jamaica concentrate

  ½ ounce Tajín Snack Sauce

  2 dashes El Yucateco red or similar hot sauce

  6 ounces lager

  pilsner

  Fresh watermelon or a pickled melon rind

  Jamaica is the Mexican word for “hibiscus,” and it’s the star of this michelada, which combines its zesty tang with the irresistible sweetness of watermelon.

  Muddle the watermelon with the lime juice in the bottom of a pilsner glass.

  Add the jamaica concentrate, snack sauce, and hot sauce and stir.

  Add ice and fill with the lager.

  Stir.

  Garnish with the fresh
watermelon or pickled melon rind.

  1 ounce reposado tequila

  1 ounce fresh lime juice

  ½ ounce Morita Chile Syrup

  4 ounces lager, preferably Dos Equis

  2 ounces cola

  tall

  A fat lime wedge

  Also known as the Wet Cowboy, this is a gussied-up version of the typical tequila and Coke drink, Charro Negro.

  Add the tequila, lime juice, and Morita Chile Syrup to a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and shake.

  Pour over fresh ice in a tall glass and stir gently.

  Fill with the lager and cola and stir.

  Garnish with the fat lime wedge.

  La paloma translates to “the dove” in Spanish, and interestingly, this drink—actually much more popular and widely consumed in Mexico than the Margarita—causes a stir, rather than peace, among die-hard bartenders. It is definitely the cause of much debate when it comes to its roots and best-suited ingredients.

  Tequila, grapefruit soda, lime, and salt: these are the generally agreed upon standards that find their way into the glass. The delivery of these ingredients is where the dividing opinions start. While blanco is primarily used, many U.S. bar folks feel that because reposado adds richness, it is the tequila of record for the Paloma. Fresh lime is a mandate, of course, but does the shell of the lime get thrown into the glass? And the salt: a pinch shaken into the drink or slathered along the rim of the glass?

  The biggest question, the one that prompted a few dozen vehement responses when we posed it to our Facebook friends, is which grapefruit soda to employ. In Mexico, traditionally Squirt or Jarritos Toronja have been used, but brands such as Ting, Fresca, and Fanta are also reached for. Here in the States, these brands are all widely available and all have their respective camps. In addition, brands like Izze and San Pellegrino have also joined the fray. Our friend Camper English, the San Francisco–based booze writer behind the site Alcademics.com, was so passionate about this topic, he conducted an experiment on behalf of Don Julio tequila, testing twenty-one different Palomas made with twenty-one different sodas. His favorite result? San Pellegrino’s sparkling Pompelmo, because it includes fresh grapefruit juice and the right amount of sugar. Each brand will, of course, add its own character. It depends what you are looking for in your drink. We suggest trying them all (several times) and determining your favorites. We have.

  Oh yeah, forgot about fresh grapefruit. Yes, there are many out there who believe a Paloma can and should only be made with fresh grapefruit juice. While in theory we agree, we didn’t create the drink, and it ain’t broke so we ain’t fixing it. A Gimlet is best made with fresh lime and a dash of simple syrup, but ask pretty much anyone in the know, and they’ll tell you that it’s made with Rose’s Lime Juice.

  That said, we do have a fresh version that we worked up for the sadly departed cocktail bar Apothecary in Philadelphia (may she rest in...Paloma). It’s gotten some circulation and even found its way into our friend Jason Wilson’s excellent book Boozehound. It is pretty tasty. Maybe we’ll rename it Civil Disobedience?

  Paloma

  1 lime wedge

  2 ounces blanco tequila

  ½ ounce fresh lime juice

  3 ounces Jarritos Toronja

  Pinch kosher salt

  tall

  A lime wedge

  Gently muddle the lime wedge in the bottom of a tall glass.

  Add the remaining ingredients and fill with ice.

  Stir and garnish with the fresh lime wedge.

  2 ounces Del Maguey Vida mezcal

  1 ounce EO Grapefruit Cordial

  ¾ ounce fresh lime juice

  1 egg white

  cocktail

  Grated nutmeg, ground cinnamon, 3 dashes Angostura bitters

  Our friends Simon Ford, Jason Kosmas, and Dushan Zaric are all great bartenders—and entrepreneurs. They launched the successful 86 Co., makers of booze brands like Tequila Cabeza. Here is Jason’s recipe for the Oaxacan Sour.

  “Mezcal has two identities when it comes to mixing in cocktails. The first is as an accenting ingredient and the second is as a ruckus-making main ingredient. Mezcal is an amazing spirit full of flavor and depth: smoky, viscous, extremely aromatic, intense, and funky. To harness its full potential in a drink in large doses, it is important to look at the perceived limitations as its strengths. The accent of grated spices and aromatic bitters help to bring other flavors out of the mezcal instead of hiding them. Egg whites can be a great medium for expressing the more delicate complexities of such a spirit.”—Jason Kosmas

  Combine the mezcal, grapefruit cordial, lime juice, and egg white in a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and shake vigorously.

  Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

  Garnish with nutmeg, cinnamon, and the bitters.

  2 avocados, sliced in half and pits removed

  1 cup Tomatillo Pico de Gallo (recipe follows)

  2 tablespoons roasted jalapeño chile peppers (see Tipps’ Tip)

  ¼ tablespoon fresh Key lime juice

  Salt to taste

  In a bowl, add all the ingredients.

  With a fork or a whisk, mash the ingredients until the guacamole is smooth.

  Tipps’ Tip:

  To roast the jalapeños, start with 2 or 3 chiles. Roast them either on a hot grill, carefully over the flame on a gas stovetop using tongs to turn them, or in a pan under the broiler. Roast, turning as needed, until completely charred and blistered on all sides. Transfer the chiles to a paper bag to sweat for about 20 minutes, allowing the skin to soften. Remove from the bag and pull the skins off the chiles. Chop finely.

  serves 4

  1 cup medium-diced tomatillo

  ½ cup medium-diced red onions

  2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

  In a bowl, add all the ingredients and stir to combine.

  If there is pico de gallo left over, it can be stored, covered in the refrigerator for up to about 1 week.

  Makes about 1½ cups

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

  1 large white onion, chopped

  2 large red bell peppers

  1 medium yellow bell pepper

  1 large green bell pepper

  1 pound Italian-style hot turkey sausage, casings removed

  6 tablespoons chili powder

  3 teaspoons ground cumin

  2 teaspoons dried oregano

  1 teaspoon ground cayenne

  1 teaspoon ground ancho chile

  ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  ½ teaspoon cracked black peppercorns

  ½ teaspoon ground smoked habanero chile (optional)

  1 pound ground turkey

  1 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate

  2 cups organic chicken stock or broth

  1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

  1 teaspoon tomato paste

  2 (15-ounce) cans red or pink kidney beans, drained

  1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained

  1 dark beer, preferably Negra Modelo

  2 ounces peppery blanco tequila

  Okay, off the bat, a couple of things before my purist friends start taking swings at me. First, I know that chili is not a Mexican foodstuff. I do. But I perfected this recipe after spending many hours on many batches, always drinking tequila while doing so. After the first few trials, I started dropping some tequila in it, which, I believe, makes it relevant. And, it’s remarkably delicious, if I do say so myself. And I do. It’s been tried and tested on scores of friends and family, all of whom have sung
its praises. Well, most of them. There was the pot I made for a bunch of friends and family in a cabin in Big Bear, California, one winter when my hand got a little heavy with the chiles.

  Second, yes it is made with turkey. Yes, it is. Why? My wife, Joanne, only consumes creatures with two legs and wings or that come from the sea. Ever cook a pot roast for one person? Doesn’t work so well. So, at home, I acquiesce and eat a lot of turkey meatballs and sausage. And I am helping your heart. And I believe I mentioned the remarkable deliciousness.

  Add the oil to a large stockpot over high heat.

  Add the garlic, onion, and peppers and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

  Add the ground turkey and sausage and sauté until browned.

  Add all the spices and chile powders and cook for 1 minute.

  Add the chocolate and chicken stock and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.