The Tippling Bros. a Lime and a Shaker Read online

  ½ ounce fresh orange juice

  ¼ ounce fresh lemon juice

  3 ounces Negra Modelo beer

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  Orange Mullet

  This uplifting cocktail is ideal for combating Chicago winters. In it, rooibos, the antioxidant-laden South African bush tea, is spiked with gingerbread to energize and warm the soul. It plays perfectly with the lively, woody notes of a reposado tequila. Did we mention we love beer in cocktails?

  Add all the ingredients except for the beer to a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and shake.

  Strain over fresh ice in a double old-fashioned glass.

  Fill with the beer and stir gently.

  Garnish with the Orange Mullet.

  Tipps’ Tip: Grandma Mix

  Who doesn’t love Grand Marnier? We are partial to the flavor and body that it brings to a Margarita but it can be a touch overwhelming on its own, especially with more delicate blanco tequilas. Our Grandma Mix (1 part simple syrup, 1 part Grand Marnier) allows us to tailor the amount of orange aromas and flavors and woody cognac complexity. It lightens and brightens.

  Little Market

  2 ounces reposado tequila

  1½ ounces pineapple puree

  1 ounce Guajillo Syrup

  1 ounce fresh lime juice

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  half Rim of Pico Piquin and a cilantro leaf

  The English translation of mercadito, this is one of our best-selling “house” cocktails. We wanted to create something that would complement a wide range of Mercadito chef Patricio Sandoval’s menu offerings and still be refreshing and fun to drink on its own. Guajillo works well to bring a little earthiness to pineapple’s zingy sweetness. We used reposado tequila to add depth to the bright flavors of the drink so that it would work well with both pork and chicken dishes and ceviches and guacamoles.

  Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and shake.

  Pour over fresh ice in an old-fashioned glass half-rimmed with Pico Piquin and garnish with the cilantro leaf.

  Lake Effect

  2 ounces Wintergreen-Infused Blanco Tequila

  ¾ ounce Kaffir Lime Syrup

  ½ ounce fresh grapefruit juice

  ½ ounce fresh lime juice

  ½ ounce agave nectar

  2 dashes El Yucateco green habanero hot sauce

  cocktail

  Half rim of Cinnamon Salt

  We wanted to devise a seasonal winter tequila-based cocktail that captured the breath-stealing intensity of a Chicago winter, and it was certainly a challenge. Although kaffir lime leaves come from a place that has never seen winter, they add an additional layer of frostiness to the drink. It takes a little commitment to make this one, but it’s well worth the effort.

  Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and shake the devil out of it.

  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, half-rimmed with Cinnamon Salt.

  El Pirata

  1 ounce blanco tequila

  1½ ounces pineapple puree

  1 ounce fresh lime juice

  ½ ounce Mexican Spiced Syrup

  2 dashes El Yucateco green habanero hot sauce

  3 ounces Negra Modelo beer

  pilsner or collins

  Chile-dusted pineapple

  A Mexican Tiki beer cocktail. Who knew? More importantly, why? Because we thought of it, worked on it diligently, and got it as close to perfect as we could. And because we are self-proclaimed pirates. It’s pretty effing delicious. Use beer in drinks!

  Add all the ingredients except for the beer to a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and shake.

  Strain over fresh ice in a pilsner or Collins glass.

  Carefully float the beer on top.

  Garnish with chile-dusted pineapple.

  Say “yarrgh,” but with a Mexican accent.

  The Howler

  2 ounces blanco tequila

  ½ ounce Castries peanut liqueur

  2 ounces cantaloupe juice

  1 ounce fresh lime juice

  tall

  A lime wedge and Spanish peanuts or melon balls

  While it may sound a bit odd, the combination of peanut and cantaloupe is a truly delicious one in this high-def tequila cocktail. Mix one up and see for yourself.

  Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and shake thoroughly for 10 seconds.

  Strain over fresh ice in a tall glass.

  Garnish with the lime wedge, a fistful of Spanish peanuts, or use this as an occasion to dig the melon baller out of the back of that drawer.

  Nymph’s Garden

  1½ ounces blanco tequila

  1 ounce Celery Juice

  1 ounce unfiltered apple juice, preferably Martinelli’s

  ¼ ounce fresh lemon juice

  ½ ounce raw Honey Syrup

  2 dashes Scrappy’s or Bitter Truth celery bitters

  Splash tonic water, preferably Fever-Tree

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  Rim of Fennel Salt and a dried apple chip

  A reference to Homer’s Odyssey and a particularly bewitching cave, this is a vibrant and savory long drink that is perfect for summer and fall. Tequila and celery is an underappreciated combination. While it’s terrific without the Fennel Salt, do endeavor to try it. It adds a delicious layer of complementary flavor to the celery and apple.

  Add the tequila, Celery Juice, apple juice, lemon juice, Honey Syrup, and bitters to a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake.

  Strain over fresh square cubes of ice in a double old-fashioned glass rimmed with Fennel Salt.

  Top with the tonic water and garnish with the dried apple chip.

  Buena Tierra

  Small handful fresh cilantro leaves

  4 fresh mint leaves

  1½ ounces blanco tequila

  2 ounces dry-style limoncello

  ½ ounce fresh lime juice

  ½ ounce agave nectar

  Splash club soda

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  Fresh cilantro sprig

  This drink is so fresh and vibrant from the combination of bright agave, lemon, and fresh cilantro that we had no choice but to call it Good Earth.

  Lightly muddle the cilantro and mint in a cocktail shaker.

  Add the tequila, limoncello, lime juice, and agave nectar with ice.

  Shake and strain over fresh ice in an old-fashioned or no ice in a cocktail glass.

  Top with club soda. Garnish with the cilantro sprig.

  Two Sheiks al Ikseer

  1½ ounces reposado tequila

  ¾ ounce Green Chartreuse

  ½ ounce fresh beet juice

  ½ ounce fresh lime juice

  1 teaspoon blackberry preserves, preferably Bonne Maman

  2 dashes aromatic bitters

  1 pinch sea salt

  cocktail

  A cinnamon stick

  This rich and complex elixir might fool you into thinking it’s actually good for you. We created this one for Sam and Tim Shaaban, brothers and proprietors of Apothecary, a short-lived but pretty extraordinary cocktail bar and lounge in Center City, Philadelphia.

  Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and shake the hell out of it.

  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

  Gar
nish with the cinnamon stick for extra aromatics.

  ¼ fresh serrano chile

  4 to 5 fresh papalo leaves

  2 ounces blanco tequila

  2 ounces passion fruit puree or nectar

  ½ ounce agave nectar

  ½ ounce fresh lime juice

  bucket

  Rim of kosher salt and white pepper and a papalo leaf

  Originally created for a restaurant in New York’s Alphabet City, the name is a phonetic nod to Avenue C—also known as Loisaida Avenue—and a unique, vibrant Mexican leaf. If you can’t find papalo, try using mint instead. This drink is so intensely flavored and zingy it will smack your mouth around a little. If you find the passion fruit flavor too bracing, cut it by half and add pineapple or papaya juice.

  Muddle the chile and papalo leaves in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.

  Add all the remaining ingredients and ice and shake.

  Strain over fresh ice in a bucket glass rimmed with the salt and white pepper mixture.

  Garnish with the papalo leaf.

  Chicas Fuertes

  3 fresh epazote leaves

  1½ ounces blanco tequila

  2 ounces fresh white grapefruit juice

  1 ounce Simple Syrup

  ½ ounce fresh lime juice

  Splash club soda

  highball or collins

  half Rim of Hawaiian pink salt and a wedge of grapefruit

  Named for strong women. Enjoyed by weak men. The “cut-grass” freshness of epazote complements the refreshing tartness of the grapefruit in this riff on the Paloma.

  Gently muddle the epazote in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.

  Add the tequila, then the grapefruit juice, simple syrup, and lime juice.

  Add ice and shake.

  Double strain over ice in a tall highball or Collins glass half-rimmed with Hawaiian pink salt.

  Top with the club soda and stir.

  Garnish with the wedge of grapefruit.

  San Fresa Fizz

  1½ ounces reposado tequila

  1 ounce strawberry puree

  ¾ ounce fresh lemon juice

  ¾ ounce Black Pepper Syrup

  ½ ounce egg white

  2 dashes Angostura bitters

  1 ounce chilled club soda

  fizz or highball

  Diced strawberries and bitters

  Designed to appeal to the senses of a cocktail geek or fizz drinker, it’s a fine, refreshing friend to food.

  Add the tequila, strawberry puree, lemon juice, Black Pepper Syrup, egg white, and bitters to a cocktail shaker.

  Shake very hard for 10 seconds without ice.

  Add ice and shake for an additional 20 seconds. (Alternatively, use an Aerolatte.)

  Strain into a chilled fizz or highball glass without ice.

  Pour the club soda into the cocktail shaker, swirl around, pour gently into the glass, and stir.

  Garnish with diced strawberries and a few drops of bitters on top.

  Arose con Blonde

  3 ounces Horchata

  2 ounces Lillet Blonde

  ½ ounce fresh lime juice

  ¼ ounce Oregano Syrup

  1 small pinch ground cumin

  bucket

  Slivered almonds and a lime zest strip

  We’ll let you decipher the name on your own. If it’s not what you did this morning, then maybe it has something to do with Horchata and Lillet. When you want to keep things on the lighter side, this is an aromatic and savory alternative to simple sangria. Great for brunch and afternoon shindigs, it’s a good one to serve agua fresca–style in a large glass container.

  Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and shake.

  Strain over crushed ice in a bucket glass.

  Garnish with slivered almonds and the lime zest strip.

  Black Sand

  2 (1½-inch) watermelon chunks

  4 fresh mint leaves

  2 fresh leaves or 1 small pinch dried Mexican oregano

  2 ounces blanco tequila

  ¼ ounce dry vermouth, preferably Dolin

  ¼ ounce agave nectar

  1 dash Pernod

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  RIM OF BLACK LAVA SALT

  This elegant and beguiling cocktail takes the watermelon Margarita to a very different level. The vermouth and oregano bring complex herbaceousness while the sandia—that would be “watermelon” in Spanish—and mint keep the freshness alive.

  Muddle the watermelon in a cocktail shaker.

  Add the mint and oregano and press lightly.

  Add the remaining ingredients and ice and shake.

  Double strain over fresh ice in an old-fashioned glass rimmed with Black Lava Salt.

  * * *

  for the fizz

  Mexicans know soda. Maybe it’s because their cuisine is spicy and packed with flavor that requires nonalcoholic beverages with gumption. Maybe it’s because of the intense, yearlong heat that leaves them in constant need of refreshment, or maybe it’s because sodas are safer to drink than water in many places throughout the country. Mexico’s versions of Coca-Cola, Orange Fata, Sprite, and other American favorites are, in our opinion, far superior to their U.S.-produced counterparts because they use higher amounts of real fruit juice and cane sugar. Plus, they are available in glass bottles, and that is just plain cool.

  There are several beloved soda brands that are indigenous to Mexico. Jarritos is hands down the largest and most prolific, with a huge variety of flavors based on popular Mexican ingredients (tamarind, guava, mango, hibiscus, mandarin, lime); Sidral Mundet and Manzanita Sol are two popular apple versions that are quite delicious. All of these are a great addition to the pantry, and can be found at most stateside Mexican groceries.

  1½ ounces blanco tequila

  1 bar spoon tamarind concentrate

  ½ ounce fresh lime juice

  2 dashes Angostura bitters

  3 ounces Sidral Mundet apple soda

  collins

  Diced red apple

  Named for the creator of Mercadito restaurants, Alfredo Sandoval, who can knock back a liter of Sidral like it’s his job. You should see him with Pepino Gatorade.

  Add everything except for the apple soda to a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and shake. Strain over fresh ice in a Collins glass.

  Fill with the apple soda and stir.

  Garnish with diced red apple.

  V9

  2 ounces blanco tequila

  1 ounce V9 Super Juice

  1 ounce fresh lime juice

  ¾ ounce agave nectar

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  A cilantro sprig

  It’s actually more than one better than the stuff in the can: super greens and tequila. You know you want to—just maybe not before a run.

  Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and shake.

  Strain over fresh ice in an old-fashioned glass.

  Garnish with the sprig of cilantro.

  Siempre Es Pera

  1½ ounces reposado tequila

  ¾ ounce pear liqueur, preferably Mathilde or Belle de Brillet

  1 ounce pear puree

  ½ ounce fresh lime juice

  cocktail

  Half Rim of Mexican Spice Salt and pear slices

  This cocktail is a play on words. Depending on
how you look at it, it’s either "pear forever" or "always hope." Either way, we hope that you will like it for a long, long time.

  Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker.

  Add ice and shake.

  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass half-rimmed with Mexican Spice Salt.

  Garnish with the pear slices.

  3 brandied cherries, preferably Les Parisiennes

  2 ounces blanco tequila

  2 ounces fresh grapefruit juice

  1 ounce Black Pepper Syrup

  1 ounce fresh lime juice

  3 dashes Bitter End Memphis Barbeque Bitters

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