Editor’s note: Quality liqueurs tend to be pricey so we’re glad, in belt-tightening times, to find simple recipes for making cocktail ingredients from scratch. Last week, we featured budget-friendly takes on classic mezcal cocktails (and one raicilla martini) and this week Brooks Bailey of Rambling Spirits shares original recipes that you can make with so-called cocktail mezcal, ordinary vermouth, and homemade simple syrups and bitters. All photos by Anna Bruce.
Here in Oaxaca I design cocktails for events, parties, weddings, brands, and restaurants. I generally don’t have a whole backbar full of liqueurs and vermouths at my disposal to play around with, so I make mostly everything fresh using common kitchen ingredients. Here are some favorite recipes that feature homemade bitters or syrups.
Note: The cold-maceration syrup recipes in this article feature fresh ingredients and 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 liquefy the ingredients and strain.
How avocado leaf tincture can be a game-changer in a mezcal cocktail
A complex, herbaceous aromatic cocktail that utilizes avocado leaf tincture, inspired by my favorite cocktail, The Last Word.
Rocío de Montaña recipe
2 oz espadín
¾ oz lemongrass syrup
½ oz dry vermouth
¼ oz lime juice
avocado leaf tincture spray
Combine with ice and shake, strain over rocks with a splash of soda, and five sprays of sprays of avocado leaf tincture.
Lemongrass syrup recipe – Blend one bunch of lemongrass with enough water to blend well, strain, blend with 2:1 juice:sugar.
Avocado leaf bitters recipe – Fill a small jar with avocado leaves and overproof spirit, infuse for several days/to taste. Strain and put in a spray bottle.
The Pepino Cooler, an espadín cocktail
A refreshing and crisp drink, this mezcal cocktail is perfect for warm afternoons. Adding a sprig of mint is a nice touch.
Pepino Cooler recipe
2 oz espadín
1 oz cucumber syrup
½ oz dry vermouth
¼ oz lime juice
soda
Shake over ice, pour into collins glass, add rocks and a splash of soda, garnish with cucumber strip.
Note: Dry vermouth gives a rounder base to the palate, but it’s not mandatory. Just taste and adjust the rest of the ingredients.
Pepino syrup recipe – Juice 3 cucumbers, blend 2:1 juice:sugar
Back to the Roots, an espadín cocktail
Accentuating the earthy depth of mezcal, this beetroot cocktail is a surprisingly refreshing (and healthful!) beverage. Earthy fresh-juiced beetroot, spicy ginger, and a lingering black pepper rim will keep you coming back for more.
Back to the Roots recipe
2 oz espadín
¾ oz beetroot juice
1 oz ginger syrup
Shake with ice, strain over ice in rocks glass with a half-rim of cracked black pepper/rock salt, garnish with lime wheel.
How to make homemade beet juice
For juicing beets, just peel and chop into small pieces and either put them through your juicer or in a blender with with just enough water to liquefy and strain.
The Al Pastor, an espadín cocktail
Inspired by the “Caipariña” originally using Cachaça (Brazilian rum made from fresh-pressed sugarcane juice) meaning “little field drink” the Camporiña accentuates the rich flavors of Sotol/Cucharilla
Inspired by the famous Middle Eastern Mexican tacos, this drink uses a complex chile-infused pineapple syrup.
Al Pastor cocktail recipe
1½ oz espadín
1½ oz piña-guajillo syrup
¼ oz lime juice
Mix all ingredients with ice and shake, strain into collins glass over ice, splash soda, with Tajin or sal de chapulin rim, garnish with pineapple slice and pineapple leaf.
Piña-chile syrup recipe
300g deseeded guajillo chiles, lightly toast in a pot to activate the oils. Combine with 2 liters of pineapple juice and set to boil. Once boiling, set to simmer until it’s reduced to 1 liter. Strain and add 500g sugar.
Bell Pepper Mezcal Magarita
A vegetal twist on the classic that highlights the sweetness and vibrant color of red bell peppers.
Bell Pepper Mezcal Margarita recipe
2 oz espadín
1 oz bell pepper syrup
½ oz lime juice
Shake with ice, strain over ice in rocks glass,
Bell pepper syrup – 1lb of red bell peppers juiced, mix 2:1 liquid to sugar
Spicy, sweet, sour Rim – 2 arbol chiles, teaspoon citric acid, and 2 tablespoons sugar, grind into powder
A sotol cocktail inspired by the Caipariña
This sotol cocktail was inspired by the Caipariña, which is made with Cachaça (Brazilian rum made from fresh-pressed sugarcane juice). Instead, my “Camporiña,” or little field drink, accentuates the rich flavors of sotol.
Camporiña recipe
2 oz sotol
half lime quartered
2 teaspoons sugar
In rocks glass, muddle the lime wedges and sugar until most of the sugar is dissolved, add sotol, stir and top with crushed ice. Garnish with sage leaf.
All photos by Anna Bruce. You can find some of these recipes and many more in “Tequila, Mezcal, and more” by Anna Bruce, with cocktail recipes by Brooks Bailey.
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