Are raicilla martinis a thing? Now they are. Brooks Bailey shares some favorite tricks for making budget-friendly mezcal cocktails from scratch, including grapefruit zest and easy bitters recipes. All photos by Anna Bruce.
Cocktail prices are at all time highs, and ordering a $20 drink with some obscure sounding ingredients can feel like a risky gamble. I generally will err on the side of a Mezcal Negroni because that is very difficult to mess up, but I’d typically rather save money and make cocktails for friends at home.
Cutting costs is great, and “budget-friendly” doesn’t have to mean you’re sacrificing quality or flavor. You may not have all the fancy contraptions and gums that are behind your favorite cocktail bar, but you can get pretty creative with a juicer, blender, and stove. Learning how to make your own cocktail ingredients from scratch is fun and allows you to get more creative with your favorite flavors.
I find doing away with liqueurs like triple-sec in a margarita is an easy way to cut down on costs. Here are a few of my go-to takes on classic mezcal cocktails, some of which I have featured in my wife Anna Bruce’s book “Tequila, Mezcal, and more.”
Tips:
Most of the following cocktails are built on a mezcal (espadín) base, but if you prefer another spirit give it a go!
I make cold-maceration syrups with fresh ingredients and use half the usual amount of sugar, so they will go off quicker. Definitely store in the fridge or freeze and thaw for your next hosting.
If you don’t have a juicer you can use a blender. Just add enough water to liquify the ingredients and strain.
Some of these recipes call for dry vermouth to give a rounder base to the palate (also I just love vermouths), but it’s not mandatory. Just taste and adjust the rest of the ingredients.
How to make a budget-friendly Mezcal Margarita from scratch
Basic doesn’t mean bad. Margaritas are popular for a reason. One of my favorite restaurants in Oaxaca is La Popular, which makes perfect, basic, lime-forward mezcal margaritas. Add a splash of soda water for a longer drink.
I don’t like anything too sweet, so I go for a 2,1,½ recipe for my margarita.
Mezcal Margarita recipe
Ingredients:
2 oz espadín
1 oz lime juice
½ oz simple syrup or agave syrup
Lime-zest salt
Lime wheel for garnish
Orange bitters
Shake with ice, strain over rocks in rocks glass with half-rim of lime-zest salt. Garnish with lime wheel.
(Add several dashes of orange bitters if you’re missing triple-sec)
Simple syrup recipe
– Equal parts 1 cup to 1 cup, (i.e. 1:1), hot water : sugar
Agave syrup recipe
– 1:1, hot water : agave syrup
Lime zest salt recipe
– zest 5 limes, dehydrate zest, mix with salt of choice (If you don’t have a dehydrator you can dry them in the sun or in an oven on low heat with the door cracked.)
Orange bitters recipe
– Zest 5 oranges, combine zest in overproof spirit (I use mezcal, but vodka will work too), infuse for several days/to taste. Strain and bottle
How to make a Jalapeño Margarita from scratch
If you want to take the margarita up a notch, you can add a fresh vegetal quality with juiced peppers. Combine with pineapple juice for more sweetness and citrus. (If you want to exclude the dry vermouth you can try adding a splash of soda water. )
Jala-Piña recipe
Ingredients:
1½ oz espadín
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz jalapeño syrup
½ oz dry vermouth
¼ oz lime
2 dashes spicy tincture
Shake with ice, strain over rocks in rocks glass with half-rim of jalapeño salt
Jalapeño syrup recipe
– ½ lb green jalapeños deseeded and juiced, blend 2:1 juice:sugar
Spicy tincture recipe
– Fill a jar with different types of chiles. A mix of dried and fresh will give your tincture a rounder palate. Arbol, guajillo, chipotle, and habañero are good ones to work with. Add overproof spirit, infuse for several days/to taste. Strain and bottle.
How to make some great Mezcal Paloma variations from scratch
This refreshing take on a classic uses chamomile notes to provide more depth and complexity to the palate.
Mezcal Paloma recipe
1½ oz espadín
1½ oz grapefruit juice
½ oz dry vermouth
½ oz chamomile syrup
¼ oz lime
Soda
Shake with ice, strain over collins with splash soda, garnish with grapefruit zest salt half-rim and lime wheel
Chamomile syrup recipe
– 2 bunches of fresh chamomile or 100g dried, bring 3 cups of water to boil, combine and steep for 10 minutes. Once cool, strain and combine liquids. Add 1:1 liquid:sugar.
Grapefruit zest salt recipe
– Zest 5 grapefruits, dehydrate zest, blend into powder and mix with salt of choice.
How to make a Mezcal Mule from scratch
If you are a fan of the bold spiciness of ginger, this cocktail is for you. The ginger syrup itself is a great tool to play around with in other cocktails and holds up to some of the most intense spirits. Adding bitters like angostura or any other aromatics can enhance this cocktail.
Mezcal Mule recipe
2 oz espadín
1 oz lime
1 oz ginger syrup
Lime wheel for garnish
soda water
Shake with ice, strain over rocks or crushed ice with a splash of soda into a mule mug or collins glass, add several dashes of angostura or mole bitters, garnish with lime wheel.
Ginger syrup recipe
– 1lb raw ginger juiced. Add strained pulp to a pot with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off heat. Once cool, strain and combine liquids. Add 2:1 liquid:sugar.
How to make a simple Mezcal Hot Toddy
The perfect mezcal drink for cold weather, served warm to soothe the soul. A splash of ginger syrup wouldn’t go amiss here.
Taught Hottie recipe
2oz espadín
½ oz ginger syrup
½ oz chamomile syrup
¾ oz lemon juice
Prewarm mug with hot water, empty the hot water, combine ingredients and add into mug, top with hot water and garnish with lemon wheel with cloves.
How to make a Raicilla Martini
A spirit-forward drink featuring raicilla. Perfect for those who prefer a savory profile. Especially good to pre-prepare for parties or an easy after-work cocktail. Raicilla is not typically the cheapest ingredient. If you can’t find a budget-friendly raicilla, this also works very well with mezcal or tequila.
Desert Martini recipe
2 oz raicilla
1 oz dry vermouth
dirty cube
Combine ingredients in rocks glass and garnish with pearl onion, and sage leaf skewer.
Dirty Cube
– ⅔ water to ⅓ olive brine, or half and half. Fancy it up with an olive and pearl onion.
In conclusion:
These are more basic ingredients but you can play around with different herbs, teas, tinctures, ice cubes, and salts to make them your own. Check out Tequila, Mezcal, and More by Anna Bruce for more mezcal cocktail recipes and other agave drink accompaniments.
editor’s note: Stay tuned for part two of this series, where we stray from the classics while staying budget-friendly.
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