Professor Cocktail

Celebrate Mexican Independence Day with Cocktails

September 16 is Mexican Independence Day. I know what you're thinking: Isn't that Cinco de Mayo? Good question! But no.

September 16, 1810 was the day that the war of independence broke out between Mexico and Spain. (Mexico, of course, was part of the Spanish Empire back then, and under the rule of a Spanish Viceroy.) Various factions of Mexican life formed an uneasy alliance to rebel against Spanish rule.

The war continued for the next 11 years, after which Mexico finally defeated the Spanish. Peace was declared with the Treaty of Córdoba and Mexico was free...to appoint themselves an emperor. But don't worry, he was gone within the year.

So where does Cinco de Mayo (the Fifth of May) come into play? That was 40 years later. Mexico once again came under the thumb of a foreign power, this time the French. In 1861, French forces invaded Mexico, trying to capitalize on the political instability and general chaos that were the order of the day. But on May 5, 1862, the Mexican Army won a decisive battle near the town of Puebla.

Sadly, the Mexicans were to go on and eventually lose the war. This lead to the installation of Emperor Maximilian I as El Jefe. He's the guy who was buddies with Napoleon III, in case you remember him from your history classes. But Maximilian I only ruled for three years before Benito Juárez and his rebels got ahold of him and introduced him to a firing squad.

Cinco de Mayo as a holiday is largely an invention of Mexican-Americans, popularized in particular by the Chicano student movements of the 1960s. It has little meaning in Mexico itself, and here in the United States it has become little more than a marketing-driven holiday, used to promote partying and beer sales. (Not so different from the Fourth of July, really, which we use to sell mattresses.)

So if you want to celebrate the real deal Mexican independence, today is the day. History lesson aside, we can always use a good reason to celebrate, and September 16 is an important day in Mexico. Let's join with our neighbors to the south and do a little celebrating of our own.

For suggestions of some different brands of agave spirit to try, check out Professor Cocktail's Tequila Taste Test. Or see this review of Z Tequila (Blanco, Reposado and Añejo).
 

Paloma

2 oz. Tequila
1/2 oz. Lime Juice
2-3 oz. Grapefruit Soda
Pinch of Salt (if desired) 

In a highball or collins glass, add tequila, lime juice and salt. Add ice and stir. Top with grapefruit soda and garnish with a lime wedge.

Professor's Note: For grapefruit soda, I like Jarritos (if you can find it) and San Pelegrino Pompelmo. For the record, I prefer mine without salt.
 

El Diablo

Adapted from a recipe by Trader Vic.

2 oz. Reposado Tequila
1/2 oz. Crème de Cassis
1/2 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
2 oz. Ginger Beer

Shake the first 3 ingredients with ice, then strain over fresh ice in a highball glass. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Tequila Criolla

1 1/2 oz. Tequila Don Julio Blanco
1 1/2 oz. Guava Nectar
1/2 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
1/3 oz. Agave Nectar
1 Slice Jalapeño

Shake ingredients vigorously with ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. (If desired, you can salt the rim of the glass.)

Professor's Note: Kern's makes a good guava nectar. There are also Mexican brands like Jumex and Goya that you can find in the Latino aisle at the grocery store. To make this cocktail really "top shelf," try using Tequila Don Julio 70, a clear añenjo tequila.
 

Toreador

2 oz. Tequila ArteNOM Seleccion 1580
1 oz. Apricot Brandy
1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

Shake with ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

 

La Perla

Recipe by Jacques Bezuidenhout

1 1/2 oz. Partida Reposado Tequila
1 1/2 oz. Manzanilla Sherry
3/4 oz. Mathilde Pear Liqueur

Stir ingredients with ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Want to know how Professor Cocktail makes a Margarita? You'll find out here: Margarita recipe. (Scroll to the bottom.)

¡Salud!

Caskers: A Good Place to Buy Spirits Online

Finding spirits beyond the usual stuff can be hard. Sure, it's easy to pick up a bottle of Popov Vodka at the corner liquor store. But what if you want some El Dorado Rum or a bottle of Weller 12 Year Old Bourbon? In that case, you probably need to order it online -- and Caskers is a great place to try.

Caskers has a small, but carefully curated selection, which means you can find some really good quality stuff there. The prices are okay -- I'd say about in the middle of what you can expect to pay. They're not the cheapest, but you'll pay more most other places.

One of the things I like best about them is that they don't soak you on the shipping like some stores do. They periodically run free shipping specials -- like the one they've got going right now. Between now and Labor Day, all orders of $150 or more qualify for free shipping. Also, they ship to most states, which is good for those who live in places with lousy stores. Like Virginia.

Check 'em out today: Caskers.

Please note: I'm not being compensated to say this stuff. This is not an ad. However, if you go through the link and buy something, I earn some referral credit. But I wouldn't send you to them if I didn't think it was a good service. So be a mensch and use my link, please.

Tequila Review: Z Tequila (Blanco, Reposado and Añejo)

I first became aware of Z Tequila when they won two Double Gold medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition earlier this year -- an impressive feat for a small distillery with very limited distribution (currently only in Texas and California). This was a tequila I had to find out more about.

Z Tequila is produced in the lowlands of Jalisco, Mexico under the direction of Master Distiller Pepe Zevada, a veteran of the spirits business for four decades.

In the past, Zevada developed and nurtured brands for several of the big companies, including introducing Tequila Espolon to the American market. When he was offered the opportunity to create his own craft tequila, he jumped at the chance.

All three tequilas are made from seven to nine year-old Blue Agave plants -- older than the norm -- and are bottled at 80 proof. The Reposado and Añejo are both aged in Canadian white oak barrels rather than the more typical ex-bourbon barrels. Zevada is trying some unique things with his tequilas, a refreshing alternative to the mass-market brands.

Z Blanco Tequila ($30) - I started with the crystal clear silver tequila, a spirit bottled straight from the still. A lively, vegetal smell is followed by a burst of flavor and heat on the tongue. This blanco has a lot of rich, tequila taste, but not a lot of subtlety. It was a little too much for me to enjoy on its own, but it was smoother with a little dilution, and mixed up very nicely in a Margarita. (Some people say you shouldn't make cocktails with tequila like this. To them, I say: it was delicious!) Final Grade: B

Z Reposado Tequila ($33) - The Reposado has a more welcoming presence. The color of light straw, this expression spends at least nine months resting in barrels. The aging has smoothed out some of the rougher edges, lending it a crisp, woody and dry taste. It has the floral aroma of agave, with a nice, spicy presence on the palate. A fine sipping tequila. Final Grade: B+

Z Añejo Tequila ($35) - The Añejo was my favorite of all. A lovely golden hue, this tequila is aged for nearly two years in oak, and it's all the better for it. All of the harshness that I found in the blanco is gone. Simultaneously more flavorful and yet subtler as well, the Añejo demonstrates the mastery of Zevada. It has a lovely balance between spicy and sweet, and a finish that keeps you thinking of this tequila for a long time. Very well done. Final Grade: A

My only complaint with these tequilas is a small one. I found the bottle tops to be annoying. They look like wood stoppers, but are really just decorated screw caps. The Anejo top broke off in my hand when I opened it, and the Reposado has a frustrating pour restrictor on it, causing the spirit to dribble into the glass. Not a big deal, but such fine tequilas deserve better.

Cocktail of the Day: The Last Minute

In celebration of the launch of his new book, The Last Minute, my friend Jeff Abbott has created a cocktail. It's called, appropriately enough, The Last Minute. In this video, he shows you how to make one.

The Last Minute, the second thriller featuring Sam Capra, is already getting some great reviews. Booklist called it "a fast-paced thriller with a likable, morally conflicted hero," while Publishers Weekly praised it as "exciting."

Reviewing one of his earlier books (Panic) in the Chicago Sun-Times, I called it “compulsively readable…an engaging page-turner that makes for fast and enjoyable reading.”

Jeff's a good guy and a good writer -- and he likes cocktails as well. What more could you ask for?

Drink Recipe: Sangrita

Not to be confused with Sangria, the Spanish wine and fruit punch, Sangrita ("little blood") is the traditional accompaniment to tequila in Mexico. This spicy, tangy, tomatoey beverage is the perfect accompaniment to agave spirits. It helps to cleanse the palate between drinks of tequila, dampening the fire with a little kick of its own.

Some people believe that true Mexican Sangrita doesn't have tomatoes in it -- just orange, lime and spice. And they very well may be right, although I have seen other sources that disagree.

At any rate, this recipe might not be authentic, but I think it's delicious.

Sangrita

2 cups Tomato Juice
1/2 cup Orange Juice
1 tbsp Grenadine
3 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Tabasco Sauce
Kosher Salt (to taste)

Mix together and serve chilled in shot glasses, accompanied by tequila.

Taste Test: Silver Tequilas

Last weekend we had family visiting from California, which could only mean one thing: I was mixing up cocktails. We were making Mexican food for dinner, so we decided to spice it up a little by having a tequila tasting to kick things off.

I brought out five varieties of silver (or blanco) tequilas to taste. We started off by sipping all of them neat to compare the flavors, and then we tried them in Margaritas. The shots of tequila were accompanied by shots of Sangrita, a Mexican aperitif that is traditionally served along with tequila. (It's kind of like a tangy Bloody Mary mix.)

Here are the brands we tried:

From left to right:

Milagro Silver
Price: $25 (750ml)

Avión Silver
Price: $40 (750ml)

Corazón Blanco
Price: $30 (750ml)

Familia Camarena Silver
Price: $20 (750ml)

Cazadores Blanco
Price: $27 (750ml)

All five of these tequilas are made from 100% Blue Agave, and all of them are the unaged expressions from their distillers. They each come in at 40% abv (80 proof).

As a general rule, silver/blanco tequilas are usually used for mixing, while the aged varieties (reposado and añejo) are saved for sipping. However, only by tasting it straight can you enjoy the pure flavor of the tequila, and a few of these made very respectable sippers.

Here are the results, compiled from the reactions that the three of us had. The grades are based on the flavor/quality of the tequila, without regard to price.

Milagro Silver (Final Grade: B)

A solid, herbal aroma of agave. Very zesty flavor, but slightly bitter and citrusy. Came in on the hotter side of the "smooth" scale -- it had more of a burn than some of the tequilas we tasted. Not as balanced. Made a delicious Margrita.

Avión Silver (Final Grade: A)

A wonderful grassy aroma. Pure agave on the tongue; spicy, floral and bursting in flavor. Very smooth and balanced. Easily the best of the night. I didn't mix this one in a Margarita -- I wanted to save it to enjoy neat.

Corazón Blanco (Final Grade: B+)

Another tequila with a plesant, vegetal smell of agave that carried over into the flavor, along with hints of fruit. This one was a little sweeter than the other tequilas, with a moderate, welcome heat on the finish. A very nice flavor overall. I didn't mix this one in a cocktail, but I'm confident it would work quite well.

Familia Camarena Silver (Final Grade: B-)

Good agave aroma and a peppery flavor, but not as smooth as the others. This one definitely had the most heat of the brands we tasted. This tequila was solid all around, but didn't leap out as a sipper. It did make an excellent Margarita, however, so use this one for mixing.

Cazadores Blanco (Final Grade: B)

The strongest aroma of the five tequilas -- it was almost pungent on the nose -- but the lightest flavor. Very smooth, with the only heat coming on the brief finish. Certainly not bad, but not much point in sipping it. Clearly designed for mixing, and it made delicious Margaritas.

Final Thoughts

The Avión Silver was easily the winner of the taste test -- it stood out from the pack with its delicious taste and smooth character. It's the one I would go to first for a sipping tequila. It was also the most expensive, so this is an example of getting what you pay for.

I wouldn't hesitate to use any of these five tequilas in a cocktail. All of them have the agave flavor that you want from a tequila and are very mixable. At its price point -- I've seen it on sale for around $16 -- the Camarena Silver would be hard to beat. I would recommend the Cazadores Blanco to those drinkers who aren't "tequila fans" and are looking for something lighter in their drinks.

Here's my Margarita recipe, so you can try some of your own:

Margarita

1 1/2 oz Tequila
1 oz Triple Sec
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, then strain into an ice-filled rocks glass.

Make sure you use a good quality Triple Sec. Cointreau is the gold standard, although I used Patrón Citrónge this time around and it worked very well.

¡Salud!

Tequila/Mezcal Review: Zignum Mezcal Reposado

Zignum Mezcal Reposado
Mezcal
Final Grade: A-
Price: $25 (750ml)

Mezcal is a new spirit for me. It's only in recent years that mezcal has started to become more widely distributed in the United States, and I hadn't had much exposure to it before now. Based on this sampling, however, I'll definitely be exploring more of this interesting spirit.

Mezcal is like tequila's country cousin -- lesser known and a bit rougher around the edges.  Beyond that, the two spirits are very similar. Tequila is made within a defined area of Mexico -- basically, the state of Jalisco -- and it's made only from the blue agave plant. Mezcal can be made anywhere is made in a different part of Mexico -- primarily Oaxaca -- and it can be made with other varieties of agave.

Zignum Mezcal is made from 100% green agave. How does green agave differ from blue agave? I haven't the faintest idea. What I do know is that Zignum Mezcal Reposado is distilled in Oaxaca, Mexico, and then allowed to "rest" in oak barrels for two months. ("Reposado" means rested in Spanish.) That gives the spirit its tan hue and a slight hint of oak flavor.

On the nose, this spirit is vegetal and slightly earthy, a very different aroma from whiskey or rum, with a touch of vanilla that increases the longer it stays in the glass.

The taste mirrors the smell. It is likewise earthy and vegetal, before turning peppery and hot. It has a nice spiciness and heat to it that is agreeable and not overwhelming. It's dry (i.e., not sweet) and has a medium-long finish; very nice going down.

Some of the reviews of this spirit complain that it tastes too much like tequila. Not being a student of mezcal, I can't really comment on that. However, I can say for certain that it is a fine tasting spirit; one that I would definitely have again.

Judging from their marketing materials, Zignum Mezcal is primarily intended as a mixer. I thought it worked quite well as a sipper, but since the company helpfully includes several recipe suggestions, I gave one of their cocktails a try.

 

Low Rita

2 oz Zignum Mezcal Reposado
3 Orange Wedges
1 oz Passion Fruit Puree
1 tsp Agave Nectar

Muddle the orange wedges in the bottom of a rocks glass. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Add ice.

A delicious, sweet cocktail, with a luscious flavor of fruit and just a hint of spice. This would be an ideal drink to sip by the pool. I can see myself making these again...and again.

Report Card

Quality Grade: A-
Value Grade: A-
Final Grade: A-

Recipe: Frozen Watermelon Margarita

My wife brought a giant watermelon home from the store. Naturally, my first thought was, "Make a drink out of it!" The challenge was that, to my mind, the flavor of watermelon doesn't naturally lend itself to a lot of different combinations. So I decided to stick with something simple and make a Margarita out of it. Plus, I was hot and wanted to make something that would help me cool down.

 

 

Frozen Watermelon Margarita

Mix in a blender:

1 cup Watermelon, cut in cubes
4 oz Tequila
2 oz Triple Sec
2 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1 oz Simple Syrup (optional)
1 cup Ice

Makes 2 drinks.

Ordinarily I don't think you'd need to add the simple syrup. Even with the dilution caused by the ice and the watermelon, the Triple Sec and the melon itself should provide enough sweetness. However, with this being an end-of-season watermelon, it didn't have as much flavor as you'd get from a better piece of produce, so I needed to balance out the sourness of the lime.

Still, a refreshing drink for a hot day. Now bring on some football! (This drink has left me feeling just a bit less than masculine.)