Cinco de Mayo 🇲🇽
Mothers Day, Mezcal Cocktail, Micheladas and More!
Greetings Friends, 🇲🇽 🎊
As requested I’ve got (2) more drink recipes for you today. The timing couldn’t be better since tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo. 🙌
Cinco de Mayo 🇲🇽
This is a very popular holiday in certain parts of the globe. Even if you’re not getting a big get-together organized, some tacos 🌮 and drinks 🍺 for dinner would not be a bad call anytime!
Many people are unaware of why Cinco de Mayo is a holiday. Most think it is Mexican Independence Day… however that is incorrect. Mexican Independence Day is celebrated on September 16th (and declared 50 years before the Cinco de Mayo event).
TLDR: In 1862 the Mexican army defeated French forces on May 5th in Puebla (home of some amazing mole). Ironically, Cinco de Mayo is a minor holiday in Mexico but in the US 🇺🇸 it has grown to be a very popular holiday in large cities and areas with large Mexican heritage and presence.
Being a lover of both French 🇫🇷 and Mexican 🇲🇽 cuisines, I’m glad both sides settled their differences and now enjoy two amazing food histories. 🙏
Popular Cinco de Mayo food groups would be Tacos 🌮, Chicken on a Stick 🍗 , Beer 🍺 and Tequila 🥃 . Some people go all out and do a full spread of enchiladas and moles… you can go as simple or involved as you like.
Not a surprise to anyone, but I generally prefer cooking for myself and friends. The past few weeks we’ve covered a lot of different recipes from moles, salsas, ceviche, margarita… and more!… so you all you need to do is execute what you want to eat.
Today seemed like a great time to talk about one of my favorite spirits that is still relatively unknown on a large scale. Then a bangin’ cocktail followed by an intro to the Michelada (think of a Mexican version of Bloody Mary with beer and spices…). All tasty things 🍻 🍹
Mother’s Day
Only five days away… get those orders in so you can surprise Mom with upgraded kitchen tools!
15% juicy discount on the Octopod Chef Knife and the Octopod Cutting Board 🙌
Both of these tools will offer decades of use and the highest quality… giving Mom the best in safety, ergonomics and enjoyment! Each board is personally oiled by myself so it’s conditioned and ready to rock.
Get those orders in soon and I’ll ship them out 2-day so you’ll have in time for Sunday!
Use Discount Code MOM
Let’s Talk Mezcal
When people think of Liquor and Mexico 🇲🇽 … they think Tequila. By far the most popular Mexican liquor export… margaritas, palomas and a slew of other cocktails have taken the world by storm. Jose Cuervo is a household name (don’t get me started 😑) and the world of sipping tequilas is a fun rabbit hole to go down.
But what of Mezcal?
There’s a legend that says mezcal was created by a lightening bolt striking an agave plant. The heat and force split open and cooked the agave, releasing the liquid inside. Hence, many people often refer to Mezcal as the “elixir of the gods.”
Whether you believe the legend or not, Mezcal has had an uphill battle in popularity. The 1990’s were plagued with cheap knockoffs being made that were very low quality.
In the past decade or so, Mezcal has slowly grabbed more presence in the liquor scene. It’s ironic that most people think that Mezcal is a type of Tequila… when actually Tequila is a type of Mezcal! 😂
Intrigued? Read on…
Mezcals are made and distilled from the Agave plant family. The word is derived from the Aztec “mexcalli” which literally means “cooked agave”. Where Tequila can only be made from Blue Agave (and in certain classified regions; Jalisco being the largest) Mezcals can be made from several agave species.
Now we could go down a whole rabbit hole here but keeping it zoomed out, here’s a few popular agave varieties used in Mezcal production; you’ll start to notice these on Mezcal labels.
Espadin (used widely)
Tobala (carries a $$$ premium because yield is lower)
Cuishe
Baicuishe
Madre Cuishe
Barril
Tobaziche
Verde
and the list goes on… so we’ll stop there.
Because of the wide variety of Agave that is used in Mezcal production, that translates directly into Mezcal having a wide range of flavors on the spectrum. You’ll find your own preferences by narrowing down the agave type and even certain producers. It’s fun! 🎉
So How is Mezcal Made?
Staying out the weeds, in order for the sugars to be converted into alcohol with distillation the agave hearts must first be roasted. The process takes 2-3 days and is usually done in pit or stone ovens with live fire heat sources. This is where the signature smoky notes come from. The hearts are then pressed to release juice, which is fermented using yeasts, and then finally distilled.
As with Tequila, Mezcal can only be produced in 8 regions of Mexico. Oaxaca is the largest. In fact, sipping a Oaxacan mezcal while eating a mole negro is peak enjoyment, FWIW 🙌
Tasting Mezcal
Ok the fun part. First, mezcal isn’t for everyone. Just as some people don’t like gin… or vodka… or whiskey.
Further, some high end mezcals should be enjoyed as is. At the price point, adding other ingredients to dilute or alter the flavor is pointless. So some people may find they don’t enjoy sipping on the good stuff… but may enjoy cocktails made with mezcal.
Tasting notes to look for in Mezcals: Smoky, campfire/char, corn/sweet, pepper, tobacco, pine needles, and much more. You’ll see there’s huge variations.
It’s all up to your taste. If you want to find some good high quality sippers, I’d recommend looking up Real Minero and also El Rey Campero mezcals. They are legit… and I enjoy them immensely.
So if you’re forraying into Mezcal cocktails, you’ll see Del Maguey all over. Their baseline is solid for cocktails.
Speaking of cocktails… I’ve got one for you that I absolutely love.
It’s got Mezcal, so those smoky notes play really with acid, sweet and heat. This cocktaill has all of it… it’s a true flavor bomb 💣, hence the name.
I give you: The Octo-Bomb 🙌
The Octo-Bomb 💣 🌶
1 1/2oz. Mezcal
1/2 oz. Ancho Reyes Verdes
1/2 oz. Gifford Apricot
1/2 oz. Lime juice
1/4 oz. jalapeno brine
1/4 oz. simple syrup
To make the cocktail, build in a rocks glass.
Start with the glass about 4/5 full of ice cubes.
Add the spirits and ingredients.
Stir a few times to combine. Garnish with an orange wheel dusted in chili salt
Sip, enjoy… and watch out… they’ll sneak up on you!
Notes: Make sure to use the Ancho Reyes Verdes; that’s a key component. Giffard is my go to for high quality mixing liqueurs. Jalapeno brine can be from any pickled jalapenos (I make my own 😂 ).
The Michelada:
This might be the perfect ticket the day after Cinco de Mayo if you’ve had a few too many 😂 . The michelada is similar to a bloody mary, with some key differences, which makes it perfect for weekend brunches, cookouts or if you want something low alcohol with your meal.
Ok, ok, ok, ok… what is Michelada?
It’s a traditional Mexican beer cocktail. Most likely originating in the 1940’s & ‘50’s. The story of origin is up for debate (as usual!), but the most likely derivation is the obvious: Chela is Latin-American slang for a blond/blue-eyed woman, hence by extension..a light beer. Helada means iced; thus, chelada means beer with ice. Add mi for “my iced beer.”
Mandatory ingredients: Beer 🍺 & Tomato juice 🧃
From there ensues a ton of variation with lime juice, Worcestershire, chili salts, chili sauces, chili pepper, chipotle and more.
The best part of this making your own personalized recipe. For myself, I want a chili-salted rim. You can use any mexican beer. Tecate or Bohemia are good options that are widely available. Maggi is a must for me, but more Worcestershire than Maggi (proportionally). Definitely a hot sauce should be added. I’m digging the tobasco scorpion right now and is perfect for this. For tomato juice, Clamato is the OG 😂 . If you have your pit going, you can smoke the tomato juice which is nice sometimes.
So start with these ratios and then adjust to your preference. (I like a thinner liquid, aka more beer 😉 ).
6 ounces cold Mexican beer
6 ounces chilled tomato juice
6 dashes hot sauce (tobasco scorpion)
4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
2 dashes Maggi Sauce
Build in the drink in iced glass with all the ingredients, except the beer. Stir to combine. Then add the beer and give another stir or two.
Garnish with a lime wedge to squeeze in and have the glass rimmed with lots of chili salt (Tajin, or whatever you like).
Crush and Enjoy!!! 🙌
This wraps the Cinco de Mayo Edición of the Substack… lookout on Twitter tomorrow I’ll be dropping another cocktail to enjoy!
Don’t Forget! Mother’s Day orders… be a hero for Mom and get her kitchen tools upgraded
Until Next Time 🥂 🇲🇽