I really wanted to do a special Christmassey cocktail for you all but in the end I couldn’t really get my mental mojo into it– sorry, folks. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always enjoyed the special feeling the season invokes despite being an avowed atheist. I think I’m like most people in that sense, who don’t get too caught up in the religiosity of the season yet are no less inclined to act on the natural urge to revel in the jolliness it invokes.

But when it comes to my drinking habits so far this season, my lips have yet to greet some egg nog. Maybe it has to do with not being invited to many holiday parties this year (what’s up with that?), or maybe I just haven’t had the urge, who knows. What I do know is that although this week’s cocktail may not invoke Christ’s spirit, it’s still perfect for the season, and if I do say so myself, it’s a damn good cocktail.

Cielo de Jalisco
2 oz añejo tequila
3/4 oz sweet vermouth (Vya is luscious and full-bodied and wonderful in this drink)
1 barspoon ginger syrup (there’s a recipe for it in this post)
1 dash Bitter Truth Xocolatl Mole Bitters
orange twist for garnish

Tools: barspoon, mixing glass, strainer
Glass: coupe or cocktail glass, pre-chilled

Fill a mixing glass with cracked ice and stir the ingredients until well chilled (at least 50 times if you have good ice). Strain into a cocktail glass and twist the orange peel over the drink to release its oils, then garnish it on the drink.

This is a cocktail I came up with last week as I was casually playing around, having been inspired by our editor’s Oaxacan adventures. The name translates to the “sky over Jalisco,” and it’s a rare example of what I call a “one hitter quitter,” when I create a cocktail and get the recipe exactly right on the first try.

The sweet vermouth and Xocolatl Mole Bitters play really well together and provide lots of depth; the ginger adds a nice touch of spice; while the anejo tequila provides a slightly woodsy yet pineappley and vegetal backdrop for what I think is a thoroughly enjoyable autumn/winter cocktail. If you have a penchant for the smoky, you can add a barspoon of good mezcal to the mix, cuz a lil’ mezcal ain’t hurt nobody!

Cheers and happy holidays!

*Got a cocktail question? Hit me on twitter @paystyle, email me at payman(at)lifesacocktail(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below.

Thanksgiving has long been the source of mixed emotions for me. On one hand it’s a day when I can unleash my monster appetite without abandon. I love to eat, and I love to eat well. Yet on the other hand I consider myself a person of conscience, and Thanksgiving is a yearly reminder of how much a particular group of people have sacrificed, usually by force (I’m speaking of Native Americans here), so that another group could thrive (I am, of course, referring to the European immigrants). In my younger years I felt a sense of guilt when celebrating the holiday, as if somehow I was compromising my principles.

Later in life I realized I wasn’t ever really compromising anything (other than my caloric intake limit) because I was never really celebrating Thanksgiving. Nobody in my family did. It’s not like we ever prayed or performed any pre-meal ritual to honor the day. That wasn’t ever my family’s style, and that’s something I’ve always been thankful for. Of course we served turkey along with many of the other obligatory Thanksgiving items, but even then it was usually a mashup with dishes found on a traditional Persian table. Rather than traditional stuffing for example, our turkey was stuffed with saffron-scented Persian rice and barberries.

Eventually I concluded that in my family Thanksgiving was simply an excuse for everyone to get together over great food, and I suspect that’s the case for many other families as well, especially families like mine whose members are predominantly first generation immigrants.

The immigrant perspective as it relates to Thanksgiving is an interesting one too because it’s the perspective that tells us everything we know about that so-called first Thanksgiving gathering at Plymouth. As the story goes, the Pilgrim immigrants were set to freeze their asses if not for the generosity of their native hosts who shared with them their bountiful harvest. And per that old axiom, the natives not only provided fish, but also taught the visitors how to fish so they could survive in this strange new world.

So at its most basic, the story of Thanksgiving is a lesson on how to be a great and generous host. And whether we’re talking about a bunch of family members coming over to your house or a bunch of poor families coming over to this country, the same lesson applies. Just be a good fucking host and stop whining about how somebody broke the gravy dish or drank too much wine.

So does all this have anything to do with cocktails? Well, a little. The stuff above is what’s been on my mind all week, so I channeled it into this week’s creation which I call Dolores’ Huerto, made with tequila, Chartreuse, lemon, ginger, and apple butter.

The name of this drink is a play on the name Dolores Huerta, a woman that’s been on the forefront of immigrant rights for over four decades. Along with Cesar Chavez she founded the United Farm Workers in the 1960s which helped propel the Chicano movement. The drink’s name literally translates to “Dolores’ Orchard,” (the word ‘huerto’ means orchard in Spanish) which is both a reference to the fruit fields where she led numerous strikes and the apple flavor found in the drink.

When I was coming up with this drink it was clear that tequila should be the base, because it represents the farm workers and immigrants who were the base of the UFW. But just as symbolically important as which ingredients I included is also which ingredient I didn’t include, grapes. “No uvas” or “no grapes” was the chief rallying cry of the great Delano grape strike and boycott of the late 1960s that first put the UFW on the map and helped the struggle of the farm workers gain national attention, and eventually won over Bobby Kennedy as their champion in Washington. For that reason I made sure there was nothing in the recipe related to grapes.

Dolores’ Huerto
1 1/2 oz tequila blanco
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/4 oz ginger syrup (see recipe near bottom of this post)
2 barspoons apple butter (about 2 tsp)
Apple slices for garnish (optional)

Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: cocktail or coupe, chilled

Shake all ingredients fervently as if you’re shaking your fist at the man. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Here’s to being a great host. Cheers!

*Got a cocktail question? Hit me on twitter @paystyle, email me at payman(at)lifesacocktail(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below.

“Idle hands are the Devil’s tools.” -Some historic hotard

It’s a rare thing for me to have down time these days, but after a very frenzied summer, I’ve stumbled upon a bit of unstructured time which quite frankly scares me. Naturally, I found a way to get into some trouble. Today’s cocktail, which I call The Devil’s Idle Hands, is the product of my mischief.

The name of this cocktail is inspired by the old idiom, “Idle hands are the Devil’s tools,” which is a reference to the mischief that is said to occur when a person has too much idle time on their hands. In this case however, the idle hands are the Devil’s own because I pictured the image of a bored and idle Devil taking a look at his liquor cabinet, and deciding to cause a little trouble by combining two spirits we don’t often see mixed together: Cynar, an artichoke-based bitter Italian liqueur that falls under the category of amaro, and tequila.

In this case I used a jalapeo-iñfused tequila, which is probably the type of tequila that you’d find in the Devil’s liquor cabinet. Add the balancing touch of the lesser-known Spanish Vermouth Perucchi Blanco, along with a few dashes of bitters, and you have something that’s truly the product of a devilish, idle mind.

The Devil’s Idle Hands
1  1/2 oz jalapeño-infused tequila (I used Tanteo Jalapeno but you can very easily infuse your own)
3/4 Cynar
3/4 Vermouth Perucchi Blanco
2 dashes Grapefruit Bitters (used Bitter Truth)
1 dash Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas Bitters
Lemon twist for garnish

Tools: mixing glass, bar spoon, strainer
Glass: chilled coupe or cocktail glass

In an ice-filled mixing glass, stir ingredients until well-chilled (at least 40 times, more if you have very cold, high quality ice). Strain into a cocktail glass and squeeze the lemon peel over and into the drink.

To make jalapeño-infused tequila, simply chop up some jalapenos, toss them in a jar filled tequila, and strain after a day or two, depending on your heat tolerance. Despite having idle time, I also happened to have a bottle of Tanteo Jalapeño tequila around so I used that instead. Although I normally prefer infusing my own flavors over buying pre-infused spirits, I think Tanteo did a decent job with infusing a spicy–yet not overwhelmingly so–jalapeño flavor that both tastes and looks natural. They also have a chocolate and a tropical version (combo of pineapple, guanabana, and mango), but the jalapeño gets my nod.

Now go stir up some trouble of your own!

*Got a cocktail question? Hit me on twitter @paystyle, email me at payman(at)lifesacocktail(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below.

Last week I wrote a post on the CKTL Jam event that took place at the Astor Center in NY, and I promised that this week I would share the recipe for the second of the two improv cocktails I created, as soon as I figured out what to call it. 

I still haven’t figured out what to call this drink, so rather than delay the post I decided to leave it up to you to come up with the drink’s name.  So take a gander at the ingredients (which are in keeping with this month’s theme of HOT HOT HEAT!), mix one up for yourself, and if inspiration strikes, drop a comment with your suggestion.

(Your Suggestion Here)
2 oz reposado tequila (I used Milagro)
1 oz fresh pineapple juice (strained)
2 barspoons fresh lime juice (about 2 tsp)
1 barspoon agave nectar
dash Worcestershire sauce
dash Sriracha sauce
top with ginger beer (Fever Tree is the way to go)

Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: highball

Fill a highball glass with ice.  Pour everything except ginger beer in a shaker that’s also filled with plenty of ice.  Shake good and hard for at least 10 seconds to fully incorporate the Worcestershire and Sriracha.  Strain into your highball glass and enjoy. Garnish not necessary, but a straw might be.

One thing I highly suggest–which I forgot to do with the drink pictured–was to strain the pineapple juice so that you don’t get that foamy top layer, so you’ll have a drink that’s not as cloudy as mine. 

Unfortunately I don’t get paid for this so there aren’t any official prizes involved if you suggest the best name.  But if I do pick your suggestion, in addition to receiving a truckload of my gratitude, I’ll buy you a drink if you’re ever in the NYC area–how’s that?

Before I leave you to your cocktail mixing and brainstorming, note that next week I will be in New Orleans for the world’s most celebrated annual mixology-fest called Tales of the Cocktail where I’ll be providing daily dispatches from the various seminars, tastings, and of course, parties.  So from July 21-25–if all goes well and I’m not drunk off my keester–look for short and sweet Happy Hour updates on all the goings on (or at least on what I’m doing). 

For those not familiar with Tales, let’s just say it’s what happens when the cocktail universe simultaneously orgasms. Cheers!

*Got a cocktail question? Hit me on twitter @paystyle, email me at payman(at)lifesacocktail(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below.

As I mentioned last week, the theme here all month long is HOT HOT HEAT! And judging by the mercury-topping temperatures this week here in New York, it appears Mother Nature keeps up with this blog, because she’s definitely doing her part to keep the theme as relevant as possible.

But unlike all the whiny crybabies out there complaining that summer’s too hot (the same folks that complain winter’s too cold) I’m all for it. The higher the temperature and humidity, the better. In fact, I only complain about the heat in three scenarios: 1) If I’m stuck indoors, 2) If I’m stuck in the subway station, and 3) If I’m stuck behind the exhaust pipe of a bus.

Otherwise I got no problem if the heat’s coming directly from nature, like say, the sun. But maybe that’s because I’m colored–or as my friends joke, because I’m from the desert. Besides, there’s no better reason to grab an refreshing ice-cold beverage than when it’s stank hot, so let’s get down to it–but first, the CKTL Jam which took place at Astor Center last week.

Recently Pipeline Brands began holding a series of semi-annual events called CKTL Jam, which is basically a night of improv mixology, where bartenders jump behind the stick and jam out with an array of fresh ingredients and mixers, along with individual spirits from the Pipeline portfolio that each bartender is assigned (you can see a video of the first CKTL Jam here).

This time around, the NY Chapter of the US Bartenders’ Guild provided the mixologists, and yours truly got a chance to get behind the bar and flex some freestyle mixology.

Hal Wolin of A Muddled Thought reppin’ hard for the USBG!

Maxwell Britten, who tends bar at Freemans, jams out…

Every hour three different bartenders got behind the bar and mixed up drinks for the thirsty crowd using the available ingredients.  I was assigned Scorpion Mezcal, and when it was my turn to get busy, I came up with two cocktails, one I call the Cherry Pepper Margarita, and the other that’s yet unnamed, which I’ll share next week when it’s properly Christened.

Cherry Pepper Margarita
2 oz tequila blanco
1 oz fresh lime juice
3/4 oz agave nectar
6 pitted cherries
6 slices bell pepper
kosher salt for rim

Tools: muddler, shaker, strainer
Glass: chilled cocktail coupe

First moisten the outside rim of your glass with a piece of lime and dip it in the salt.  Then add the cherries and bell pepper together in the shaker and muddle well to extract the juices of both.  Add the remaining ingredients along with plenty of ice and shake well and hard, for at least 10 seconds.  Strain into your glass and drink up.

I’ll be honest, I was pretty nervous about the drinks I created because I didn’t have an opportunity to test them before serving, so I had to trust how they tasted in my head. Combining ingredients as varied as cherries and bell peppers would be either absolutely disgusting or divine; still, I figured the greater the risk, the greater the reward, and luckily in the end it all worked out as folks seemed to enjoy both drinks.

Hopefully by next week I’ll have a name for the other creation and I’ll be able to share it with you. I’ll give you a little hint: it’s got Sriracha.

*Got a cocktail question? Hit me on twitter @paystyle, email me at payman(at)lifesacocktail(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below.

It’s that time of year again folks! That’s right, it’s Cinco de Mayo, or as some call it, “Cinco de Drinko,” which is Americans’ favorite Mexican holiday that most Mexicans don’t celebrate.

Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not the day of Mexican independence.  That would be September 16.  Rather, Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of the Mexican army’s victory over the French (yeah the French tried to get in on the action too) in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. As far as battle victories go, it was considered an upset, as the French army was larger and considered much stronger than the Mexican contingent.

In Mexico Cinco de Mayo is hardly a holiday, but on this side of the border we all know it’s a different story.  So why all the fanfare over here?

It all started in 1863 in California, which was then known as Alto California (which Mexicans distinguished from Baja, or Southern, California, which was South of the border, with the border itself having been established just 15 years prior as a result of Mexico’s defeat in the Mexican-American War).  According to a paper published a few years ago by the UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture, the celebrations began as a way for Mexicans living on this side of the border to show support for their countrymen fighting against the French invaders.  And as we can all attest, it has caught on pretty well.

Although the Margarita is the cocktail Americans most associate with Cinco de Mayo (or with anything Mexican for that matter) I figured I’d present a few alternative options for those of you who want to take your agave enjoyment in a slightly different direction. 

To start, there’s the lesser known but just as worthy classic called El Diablo, created by Trader Vic. Then you have a modern-day classic created by Robert Hess called La Rosita, which is basically a tequila-based variation of a Negroni.  Or you can try one of my past creations, the bittersweet Amaro Twilight or the fall-flavored El Grito, which is given a jolt of Jersey Lightning via the addition of applejack.

And last but not least, I offer the smoky and seductive La Guadalupana, created just for you.

La Guadalupana
2 oz reposado tequila (I used Partida to elegant effect)
1.5 oz grilled grapefruit juice (instructions below)
.5 oz wild hibiscus syrup (found here or simply make your own by combining brewed hibiscus tea with equal part sugar)
.5 oz Cointreau
.5 oz fresh lemon juice
1 barspoon (approx tsp) A.B. Smeby Highland Heather Bitters
Good pinch of ground Hawaiian black lava salt
2 oz ginger beer to top

Tools: shaker, strainer
Receptacle: any gourd, goblet, bowl, or other fear-inducing vessel
Garnish: candied hibiscus flower

Combine everything except ginger beer in ice-filled shaker and shake it muy bueno y fuerte.  Fill your drink bucket with crushed ice, then strain the drink into it.  Top with the ginger beer, give it a light stir, pop the garnish on it and enjoy! Hay que refresco!

Now for the grilled grapefruit juice: simply slice a grapefruit in half (through the axis, not along it) and pop the halves under a broiler with the cut sides facing the broiler flame (I find it useful to position the rack close to the flame). Broil until slightly charred, about 5-10 minutes depending on your broiler.  Remove from the oven and let it cool. Once it’s cooled, squeeze out the juice, retaining as much of the charred bits.  Be careful not to get too much pith while squeezing or else the juice may taste unpleasantly bitter. As an alternative you can use a culinary blowtorch (the ones they use for crème brulees) for those who have one.

At the moment the Brooklyn-based A.B. Smeby Bitters line has yet to hit the market (see the bottom of last week’s post for explanation), but the collective fingers of the mixology community are crossed in hopes that it will soon become available.  In the meantime, if you want to impart the smoky flavor of the Highland Heather bitters for this drink, I suggest substituting an equal amount of a smoky mezcal like Del Maguey.  It won’t give you all the notes found in the bitters, but it’ll hold you over for now.

Happy Cinco de Drinko! Salud!

*Got a cocktail question? Hit me on twitter @paystyle, email me at payman(at)lifesacocktail(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below.

This morning I left the house without a coat, beanie, or scarf.  While savoring the fresh air and sunshine I realized Spring had arrived early to the party, and DJ Mother Nature (who’s the one throwing the shindig) was shouting, “Let’s get this party started!”  Well Big Mama, I thought you’d never ask.

A party like this one calls for tequila, and one of my favorite tequila cocktails is a lesser-known classic called El Diablo.  Although I wasn’t able to pin down the history of this drink with absolute certainty, the weight of the evidence points to the king of summer drinks, Trader Vic, as its creator.  Trader Vic is of course most famous for creating the Mai Tai, and—along with Don the Beachcomber—credited with pioneering the Tiki drink culture that swept this country in the 1940s and 50s.

The drink makes its first appearance in 1946 in Trader Vic’s Book of Food and Drink, where he calls it a Mexican El Diablo.  Since there were no other drinks known as El Diablo before this one, the “Mexican” part of the name is pretty superfluous, and Trader Vic probably concluded the same, because he eventually dropped it in his later publications and simply called it El Diablo.

El Diablo
1 ½ oz Tequila blanco (aka silver tequila; I used Partida)
½ oz Crème de Cassis (I used Mathilde)
½ oz lime juice
Ginger ale/beer to top (Reed’s is a bold choice)

Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: Highball

Place everything except ginger beer in an ice-filled shaker. Shake the devil out of it and strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with ginger beer and give it a light stir.

The recipe above is actually a slightly updated version of Trader Vic’s original recipe. Originally Vic called for a 1 ounce pour of tequila, which I’ve increased to 1 ½ ounces in order to balance out the acidity of the lime and the sweetness of the liqueur a little better.

It’s always important to use a good quality spirit when making drinks. When it comes to your tequila, you should always choose one that’s made with 100% agave. It’ll always state it right on the bottle, as this is a badge of honor, and if it doesn’t state it then you know to steer clear of it.

The same goes for your choice of liqueur. I stay away from anything artificially flavored, and drop a few more dollars for something flavored with the fruit itself—in this case blackcurrants forming the essence of Crème de Cassis—which will make a universe of difference.

As for the ginger ale or ginger beer, use a brand that’s not shy in its ginger flavor.  The main difference these days is that ginger beer tends to have a bolder, spicier, ginger-ier flavor than most ginger ales, and tastes much more like what would Vic would have used in his time.  You want the spicy bite of ginger here, as it plays up rather well with the other ingredients in this drink.  It’s really worth avoiding the fake ginger flavored soda hawked by Canada Dry and Schweppes.  You’ll know the difference when you try a quality brand, as it completely upgrades the drink.

This drink is a perfect example of why Trader Vic is considered such a pioneer in the world of boozology.  He deserves credit for his creative use of less commonly known ingredients—using orgeat in a Mai Tai, and in this case, using a Mexican spirit most Americans had at best heard of but not tried, tequila.  And I bet the man knew how to throw one hell of a party.

Speaking of which, let’s get this party started.

*Got a cocktail question? Hit me on twitter @paystyle, email me at payman(at)lifesacocktail(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below.

Today is Mexican Independence Day folks! It’s been too crazy of a day for me, and everything including Happy Hour’s been behind schedule, so I’m keeping today’s post short and to the point.

Mexican Independence Day, also known as El Grito de Dolores, is often incorrectly confused with Cinco de Mayo, which is actually a celebration of Mexico’s defeat of the French army in the late 19th century. Who knows where the confusion started, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the PR folks at Corona had a hand in it. El Grito de Dolores is the name given to the battle cries for independence that were first uttered in the town of Dolores by Mexicans who took up arms against the Spanish in their quest for independence. “Que viva la independencia!” was a common battle cry then, and “Que viva Mexico!” is a common one in modern-day celebrations.

This is also the inspiration for today’s cocktail, El Grito. In creating this cocktail I was also inspired by flavors that would be suitable for imbibing in the fall. The heat has certainly tamed in NYC, and I am a firm believer in drinking in a manner suitable for the occasion and the season.

El Grito
2 oz. anejo tequila
1 oz. Laird’s Applejack (apple brandy)
1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
1 tsp. agave nectar
1 tsp. maple syrup
1 goodly dash Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas’ Bitters
orange twist

Tools: shaker, strainer

Glass: coupe (pictured) or cocktail glass

Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with big lumps of ice and shake while yelling “Que viva Happy Hour!” at the top of your lungs. Strain into your glass and squeeze orange twist over drink to release the oils, then place it as a garnish.

Overall I think the applejack and maple syrup balance nicely with the anejo tequila I used, while still allowing the tequila’s depth of flavor to shine. The sweet vermouth and agave nectar allowed me to balance the sweetness while avoiding an overly maple syrup flavor which can easily dominate the drink.

And last but not least, major-super-truckloads-of-props to Kayoko (que viva Kayoko!) for the bottle of Jerry Thomas’ Bitters, which I like so much that I’ve been waiting for the perfect cocktail to use it in, and that cocktail has finally arrived! Named after “Professor” Jerry Thomas (considered the godfather of American mixology) and based on a recipe of his, these bitters are a fantastic addition to a cocktail like El Grito; the light cinnamon and clove essence work really well with the sweet vermouth–you can also add it to a Manhattan for a twist on the classic.

Now off to celebrate what’s left of the evening. Que viva Umamimart! Que viva Happy Hour!

*Got a cocktail question? Hit me on twitter @paystyle, email me at payman(at)lifesacocktail(dot)com, or simply drop me a comment below!

Paystyle was born in Tehran and grew up in Los Angeles (aka Tehrangeles) before moving to Brooklyn with his wife and co-pilot Vanessa Bahmani who provides the stunning photography of Pay’s cocktail concoctions. Return every Wednesday for his weekly Happy Hour column.

Welcome back to Happy Hour, which for the month of May has been transformed into a tabernacle of tequila, where each week I have been featuring cocktails made with different types of tequilas (previous posts can be found here, here, and here). As the title indicates, the focus of this week is añejo tequila.

Añejo is a type of tequila that has been aged in oak barrels for a period ranging anywhere from one to three years. It is in this longer aging process that the tequila attains a darker brown color and richer, more complex flavor, which are both imparted from the oak barrels it sits in. A few tequila companies use oak barrels that were previously used to age scotch, bourbon, or even wine, all in an attempt to create a more uniquely complex añejo.

You thought I wouldn’t dare, but of course, I would. Yes, I created a couple of cocktails using high quality añejo tequila, and will be sharing them with you today. It’s actually not the taboo that you would imagine it to be, or perhaps that it once was, to mix a high quality aged spirit like añejo tequila in a cocktail. To the chagrin of purists, some of the top cocktail innovators in the country are featuring aged spirits such as bourbons, rums, tequilas, and even single-malt scotches in cocktails on their menus.

The key to successfully incorporating these high-end spirits in cocktails is to be mindful of the differences between a spirit in its more complex aged form and that same spirit when it is young, crisp, and clear. For example, I am much more inclined to use juices, syrups, and other non-alcoholic mixers in a drink having a blanco or reposado tequila as its base than I am when añejo tequila is the base. This is because the crisp flavor of a younger tequila complements these mixers quite well, and the mixers make more palatable the harsher alcohol taste of the unaged spirit.

Following that same logic, when mixing with an añejo I will often opt out of the juices and syrups and such, and instead seek ingredients that provide both flavor and aromatics that are complementary to the tequila’s more complex flavor profile. So for example, we know that tequila and citrus form a great marriage, but rather than reaching for a juice that could overpower, I can instead use aromatic orange or grapefruit bitters along with an orange twist that will release more aromatic citrus oil into the drink. This way I get a citrus note with each sip without losing the aged tequila’s mellow yet complex flavor.

Naturally then, when mixing with añejos, the cocktails tend to lean more on the strong-flavored boozy side, and are more likely to be the type of drink ordered as a digestif or nightcap rather than as your pre-meal aperitif, since the other ingredients in it tend to be alcoholic as well. I prefer it this way because an añejo can be too overbearing to sip before a meal even when enjoying by itself, and is much better suited post-feast anyway.

Today I have two añejo-based beauties for you. The first I call La Bella Dona, and the second is called La Vieja. Both bare closer resemblance to classic boozy cocktails (both in preparation and ingredients) such as the Sazerac or Manhattan than to more popular modern-day drinks that feature more sweetness and fruit flavors. In other words, these are drinkers’ drinks, and will almost assuredly not suit the tastes of those who believe the purpose of a cocktail is to mask the underlying flavor of the liquor. But if you’re one of those who enjoys sipping a well-aged brown spirit–or perhaps even consider yourself a purist–this would be for you.

La Bella Dona (pictured above)
1 1/2 oz añejo tequila
1/2 oz dry vermouth (preferably Dolin if available)
1/4 oz absinthe (Lucid is nice here)
1/4 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
2 dashes Fee Brothers Grapefruit Bitters
Grapefruit twist for garnish

Tools: bar spoon, mixing glass, strainer, knife or peeler

Glass: chilled coupe (pictured) or cocktail glass

Fill mixing glass (essentially a pint glass) with ice plus all liquid ingredients. Stir for about 20 seconds (make sure not to aerate the drink while stirring) and strain into chilled glass. With the knife or peeler, cut a section of grapefruit rind, avoiding as much of the bitter white pith as possible. With your fingers, pinch or twist the rind over the drink to lightly spritz it with the citrus oil, then rub it around the rim of the glass and drop it in the drink.

La Vieja (pictured below)
1 1/2 oz añejo tequila
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1 dash Fee Brothers Rhubarb Bitters
1 dash Fee Brothers Grapefruit Bitters
1/2 tsp orange blossom water (can be found at Indian, Persian, or Arab grocery stores)
Lime twist for garnish

Tools: bar spoon, mixing glass, strainer, knife or peeler

Glass: chilled rocks glass

Add the orange blossom water to the rocks glass and swirl the glass around to coat the inside of it, then pour out the remainder. Place one or two chunks of ice in the rocks glass. Fill mixing glass with ice plus all remaining liquid ingredients. Stir for about 20 seconds and strain into rocks glass. In the same manner as with the grapefruit twist above, cut a piece of lime peel (again avoiding as much pith as possible) and squeeze it over the drink, rub it around the rim, and drop it in.

As you can tell from the ingredients, neither of the above cocktails are child’s play (I suppose no cocktail is child’s play, in the literal sense). In fact, for the añejo tequila in both cocktails I used Don Julio 1942, a limited edition tequila which is aged for at least two and a half years and has nice prominence of vanilla in the nose and a flavor lightly reminiscent of vanilla and pineapple. You could certainly use a less expensive añejo in these cocktails if you preferred.

You may have also noticed that both of these cocktails are stirred instead of shaken, and this is no accident. For cocktails that feature exclusively alcoholic ingredients, shaking is not necessary, and in fact often unwise. This is because these drinks don’t require the furtive mixing, agitation, and aeration in order to thoroughly mix the components in the way that drinks featuring non-alcoholic ingredients do. When done right, the simple process of briskly stirring provides adequate chilling, mixing, and ice dilution for these types of drinks. This is certainly not a hard and fast rule and there are those who prefer to have certain cocktails shaken when the classically appropriate method is to have them stirred (e.g. James Bond). But of course Happy Hour strives to abide by the classic methods as much as possible and only deviates from them when best sense dictates.

This wraps up this month’s tequila tribute and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Next month, for the entire month, Happy Hour will explore gin in all its variations, from the popular London Dry to Old Tom and others. See you next week. Cheers!

Come back every Wednesday for Paystyle’s weekly Happy Hour column.

Photography by Vanessa Bahmani

Reposado tequila is a type that has been aged anywhere from a minimum of two months up to a maximum of one year in oak barrels. This aging process is what imparts color and depth of flavor to tequilas (to all spirits for that matter). Because reposados are only aged up to a year, they will attain only a slight woody flavor and light golden color (which they pick up from the barrels they are stored in) compared with the much darker and more complex anejos which are aged up to three years. In tequila drinks, reposado is a great choice when seeking a bit more depth without feeling as if you’re wasting good money and good liquor.

Today’s tequila treatise is a triple treat, as I will share with you three recipes, each using reposado tequila. The first is an original I created which I call Midnight in Mexico. Originally this was all I was going to share today but my ever-persuasive good friend Kayoko requested that I share a classic Margarita recipe. Not being one to disappoint a friend, and despite last week’s mention that I was not going to do Margaritas, I decided to do her one better and share two Margarita recipes: the first, a classic and traditional Margarita, and the second, my recipe for a Pomegranate-Blueberry Margarita.

First let’s get the Margaritas out of the way. There are at least seven different competing stories regarding the origin of the Margarita, and because today’s topic is reposado tequila, I will indulge none of them. Besides, we have a lot of drinking to do today. So let’s begin with the simplest to prepare, the original, which is one of the Essential Cocktails every respectable bar–professional or home–should be able to make.

Classic Margarita
2 oz reposado tequila (Cazadores is a great inexpensive option)
1/2 oz Cointreau
3/4 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 oz simple syrup (1.5:1 sugar to water)
sea salt for rim

Tools: cocktail shaker, strainer

Glass: double rocks

Rub a lime around the rim of the glass and dip into the salt to coat the rim, then fill glass with ice. Place the remaining ingredients in a cocktail shaker along with ice and shake well. Strain into your glass and enjoy.

If you prefer a crisper tasting Margarita, simply use unaged silver (plata) tequila instead. When I prefer a little woody flavor in my Margarita I use a reposado. But regardless of which type of tequila you use, it is absolutely essential that you use one made of 100% agave. The bottles will denote this–if your bottle doesn’t, then it is probably a cheap “mixto,” which may be comprised up to 49% by other types of fermented sugars as filler. The point is to use tequila, not shitty rum disguised as tequila.

It is also worth noting that many Margarita recipes call for Triple Sec instead of Cointreau. It is a matter of my strong preference to use Cointreau, which I think is superior in taste, though ultimately the choice is yours.

“Sour mix” is another commonly called-for ingredient in Margaritas, though it should be diligently avoided. Instead, just use lime juice and simple syrup. If you regularly enjoy Margaritas you can simply pre-mix your lime juice and simple syrup in the ratio which best suits your taste. And it goes without saying (though I will say it) that you should opt for fresh squeezed lime juice. It really is no burden, and the benefit is exponential compared with the bottled stuff.

And now on to the Pomegranate-Blueberry Margarita. I know it sounds a bit trendy but I happened to have pomegranate juice and blueberries, so I figured why not? Besides, this will be a little different than others you may have tried before.

Pomegranate-Blueberry Margarita
2 oz reposado tequila
1 oz pomegranate juice (you can also use blueberry-pom juice if it pleases you)
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 oz berry syrup
10-12 blueberries
Black sea salt for rim

Tools: cocktail shaker, strainer, muddler

Glass: double rocks

Rub a lime around the rim of the glass and dip into the salt to coat the rim, then fill glass with ice. Put a few blueberries aside (for garnish) and put the rest in your shaker and crush them with the muddler. Add the remaining ingredients along with ice and shake well. Strain into your glass and drop the remaining blueberries in for garnish.

Although I normally opt for fresh squeezed juices, please feel free to exempt yourself from the gratuitous punishment of squeezing juice out of pomegranate seeds and just buy a bottle. My (Persian) grandmother lives in California and I’m in Brooklyn, so I purchased my juice from the store as well. The Pom brand works fine and I used it here, but if you really want unfettered pomegranate flavor and you have a middle eastern or Indian grocery store near you, seek a brand like Sadaf.

Black sea salt, or lava salt, can be found at gourmet groceries such as Whole Foods. I happened to purchase mine when I was in Hawaii. What makes the black salt unique is that it comes from lava which results in a smokey, earthy flavor–not to mention that it provides a visually stunning color contrast.

By now I hope you’ve gotten your Margarita fix so I can share with you the cocktail I originally created for today, called Midnight in Mexico. My thought process for this is really just an extension of the same principle I have been following with the past couple weeks’ posts on tequila; namely, to do something different with the spirit than what you may be used to. That’s originally why I thought of staying away from Margaritas, despite how much I enjoy them.

Midnight in Mexico
1 1/2 oz reposado tequila
1 oz Pineau de Charentes
1 oz fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 oz rosewater
1/4 oz agave syrup (made from nectar of agave plant, similar in flavor to honey)
1 egg white (always use fresh eggs)
4 dashes Fee Brothers Peach Bitters
Pinch of cardamom

Tools: Tools: cocktail shaker, strainer plus fine strainer for double straining

Glass: chilled coupe glass (pictured)

Place all ingredients except cardamom in cocktail shaker and dry shake (without ice) for a good 15 seconds or so. Now add ice and shake again for another 15 or so seconds, until the outside of shaker is frosted. Pour the drink through both strainers into your chilled glass (called double straining) and sprinkle with a pinch of cardamom.

The purpose of double straining is to have the clearest drink possible and filter out any pulp or stray ice pieces, which is why some bartenders prefer to double strain for almost every shaken cocktail which requires straining. However since this cocktail uses egg white, double straining serves the additional purpose of creating a much smoother top layer of foam. This is important not merely for texture, but also because you want the cardamom to rest atop the plush foam so that you get a nice scent with every sip instead of having it quickly sink to the bottom.

Agave syrup can be found at most health food stores these days, but if you have trouble finding it just substitute honey syrup or simple syrup in its place.

I cannot tell you how much I enjoy sipping this drink. Every ingredient really comes through and adds an interesting touch, especially the rosewater and cardamom, which add an especially alluring floral quality that complement the citrus and tequila flavors.

I call this cocktail Midnight in Mexico basically because it was damn near midnight in Mexico when I (in Brooklyn) first created it! Yes, drinking into the wee hours is both a benefit and hazard of this job which I perform with utmost dedication to you, the reader.

If you enjoyed these elixirs, make sure to return next Wednesday where I’ll be mixing cocktails with anejo tequilas (oh no he di-in’t!) (oh yes I did!). Cheers and peace out!

Come back every Wednesday for Paystyle’s weekly Happy Hour column. Photography by Vanessa Bahmani.