Agave Gracias — Braulio and mezcal in an Old Fashioned frame, sweetened with unrefined cane

Agave Gracias

Braulio and mezcal in an Old Fashioned frame, sweetened with unrefined cane

Number of people

Ingredients

  • 1 ozBraulio
    Standing where the whiskey would be in an Old Fashioned
    Substitute: Another alpine amaro with pine
  • 1 ozMezcal
    An espadin; the smoke should support, not lead
    Substitute: Reposado tequila, for less smoke
  • 1/4 ozCreme de Cassis
    A quarter ounce, for colour and dark fruit
  • 1/2 ozPiloncillo Syrup
    Unrefined Mexican cane sugar, dissolved one to one
    Substitute: Demerara syrup

Instructions

  1. Add 1 oz Braulio, 1 oz mezcal, 1/2 oz piloncillo syrup and 1/4 oz creme de cassis to a mixing glass
  2. Fill with ice and stir until properly cold

    There is no citrus here, so dilution is the only thing softening the smoke

  3. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass
  4. Express a grapefruit twist over the surface

Technique Notes

Stir this one properly cold before it goes over fresh ice. There is no citrus juice to carry it and only three quarters of an ounce of sugar in total, so dilution is the only thing standing between the mezcal's smoke and the amaro's pine.

Why the Agave Gracias Works

Mezcal and alpine amaro sound like opposites and share more than they should: both are vegetal, both are slightly medicinal, and both finish dry. The cassis is the bridge, a quarter ounce of dark fruit that gives the pine and the smoke a common colour.