Oaxacan Angel — Mezcal and agave, stirred, with a nineteenth-century bitters

Oaxacan Angel

Mezcal and agave, stirred, with a nineteenth-century bitters

Number of people

Ingredients

  • 2 ozMezcal
    Del Maguey Vida in the printed version
  • 2 dashesCastilian Bitters
    Licorice and dandelion root over caramelised demerara
    Substitute: Any licorice-led aromatic bitters
  • 1 barspoonAgave Nectar
    A barspoon, and no more than that

Instructions

  1. Add 2 oz mezcal, 1 barspoon agave nectar and 2 dashes Castilian bitters to a mixing glass
  2. Fill with ice and stir until cold
  3. Strain into a chilled rocks glass over fresh ice
  4. Express a grapefruit twist over the surface and drop it in

Technique Notes

A barspoon of agave nectar against two ounces of mezcal, which is less sweetener than almost any drink in this shape carries. The bitters and the grapefruit oil are doing the work that sugar usually does, which is why both are specified rather than suggested.

Why the Oaxacan Angel Works

This is not the Oaxaca Old Fashioned, which splits its base with tequila and finishes on orange. Here the mezcal stands alone, the sweetener is a barspoon rather than a teaspoon, and the licorice in the bitters meets the grapefruit oil instead of the orange.