Happy Hour: The Devil’s Garden

A smoky and sweet combination to delight your palate.

If you’re still drinking the same old vodka and soda or jack and coke, you’re seriously missing out. The world of cocktails is thriving unlike ever before with all kinds of creatives developing drinks to pair with food or stand on their own.

If you’re a tequila fan as well as a scotch drinker, then hopefully you’ve also tied mezcal. The Oaxacan spirit is created in a similar way to tequila, but the agave plants are covered in order to add a smokey, earthy flavor much like you’d find in a scotch. The result is a smooth drinking, excellent cocktail foundation, which is what we’re discussing today with The Devil’s Garden.

Depending on how hardcore you like to get with your cocktails, this one encourages you to infuse the mezcal with chipotle peppers for an even spicier flavor profile than if you’d use the spirit as designed. First you’ll want to smoke the pepper in a pan over high heat until it starts to smoke. Then add it in with the mezcal into a mason jar or something sealable and let sit overnight. This will infuse the peppered flavor into the mezcal and create a truly unique flavor.

Once the booze is ready to go, you’ll need some other ingredients as well. For each individual cocktail you’ll need…

3-4 fresh mint leaves

.75 oz fresh lime juice

.75 oz agave

.5 oz Cynar (this is an artichoke based liqueur that will add a bit of a unique soothing flavor)

1 oz. peppered mezcal (if you like it extra smoky, go ahead an do 2 ounces of the mezcal and skip the reposado)

1 oz. reposado tequila

Add the mint leaves and lime juice into a cocktail shaker and muddle the leaves for a few seconds. Then add all of the other ingredients as well as some ice. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds and strain into a coup-style glass if you like it served up, or over the rocks, depending on your taste.

Garnish with a mint leaf and you’re ready to drink!

#EnjoyResponsibly

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