So, on Tuesday we talked about fitness. I still haven’t worked out BUT I did come down with a stomach flu so I’m significantly closer to my weight loss goal than I was at the start of the week #fitfam.
Let’s not discuss that further. Instead, let’s talk about what we’re drinking over the long weekend. Who’s excited?!
This is a cocktail I was first introduced to at Riviera. I was waxing poetic about my love of mezcal and the bartender whipped me up this little delight: the Naked and Famous cocktail. Mezcal has come onto the cocktail scene in a big way over the past few years and it’s only picking up speed.
Mezcal is defined as any agave-based liquor. That category includes tequila, which is produced in specific areas of Mexico and can only be comprised of blue agave. If you’ve sampled mezcal, you’ve likely noticed its distinctively smoky flavour profile. Mezcal is distilled through a different process than tequila which accounts for its unique flavour.
Tequila is most often produced by steaming the agave inside industrial ovens before being distilled two or three times in copper pots. Whereas mezcal is cooked inside earthen pits lined with lava rocks and filled with wood and charcoal before being distilled in clay pots; hence the smoky goodness in the finished product.
The smokiness is exactly what makes mezcal such a compelling cocktail ingredient. Its flavour profile plays well with others – whether sweet, acidic or herbaceous. In this classic drink, the mezcal is matched in equal measure by yellow chartreuse, Aperol and lime juice. The end result is a balanced, spirited drink that is just the thing to get your long weekend started.
I would recommend using a quality mezcal so that fire-pit flavour really shines through, I used Mezcal Creyente and I loved it. Be warned, mezcal certainly isn’t the cheapest spirit on offer at the LCBO but it’s worth the investment and can do the distance in any number of iterations.
P.S. As you might have noticed, I’m almost out of Aperol: send help.
Naked and Famous
Haven't discovered mezcal yet? Let me introduce you to your new favourite spirit, featured in this Naked and Famous cocktail. The smoky flavour profile of mezcal is the perfect dance partner for Aperol, yellow Chartreuse and lime.
- ¾ oz mezcal
- ¾ oz Aperol
- ¾ oz yellow Chartreuse
- ¾ oz lime juice
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Add all ingredients to an ice-filled shaker. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with lime.
