Smoky Cocktails
Five drinks with mezcal, Scotch, and tequila that will make your guests feel warm and fuzzy.
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Cocktails, listed below from left to right. Illustrations by Ellaphant in the Room
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Tamarindo Margarita
At Pokito by Alex Kleinberg
Sour plays with smoke in an updated staple from this Asian- and Latin-inspired restaurant.
For the simple syrup:
Demerara sugar
For the Cocktail:
1 oz. lime juice
1 oz. simple syrup
1 � oz. organic tamarind concentrate
1 oz. Unión mezcal
1 oz. Corralejo tequila
� oz. Cointreau
(1) Make simple syrup using a 1-to-1 ratio of sugar to water.
(2) Combine all ingredients in mixing tins and shake with ice.
(3) Strain over fresh ice into a salted glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
Scotch Stirred
At Fung Tu
Sweet floral notes tame the Scotch’s boldness in this fairly strong number.
2 oz. Wemyss �Spice King� blended Scotch
� oz. chrysanthemum honey
� oz. Cardamaro
2 drops saltwater
3 spritzes chrysanthemum tincture (available online or in specialty stores)
(1) Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Stir.
(2) Strain into a coupe.
Alamar
At Loosie Rouge by Arnaud Dissais
Dissais uses pesto to give this spicy drink an herbal aftertaste.
For the Syrup:
Muscovado sugar
Ground Espelette pepper
For the Cocktail:
� oz. smoky mezcal
1 oz. tequila blanco
� oz. verjus
� oz. Espelette-infused muscovado syrup
1 bar spoon pesto
3 dashes Jamaican bitters
(1) Make syrup using a 2-to-1 ratio of muscovado sugar to water. While heating, add a bar spoon of pepper for every 6 oz. of sugar to infuse the chile flavor and heat.
(2) Add mezcal, tequila, verjus, bitters, syrup, and pesto (your favorite homemade or store-bought basil-based pesto) to tins with ice. Shake.
(3) Strain into a glass.
Tide Is High
At Mother of Pearl by Jane Danger
This tiki-style drink tempers the tequila and mezcal with cashew syrup.
For the Cashew Syrup:
1 lb. Demerara sugar
� lb. cashews
� tsp. salt
3 cups water
For the Cocktail:
� oz. lime juice
� oz. pineapple juice
1� oz. cashew syrup
� oz. mezcal, such as Del Maguey Vida
� oz. Pueblo Viejo reposado tequila
(1) Mix cashew-syrup ingredients and cook in a deep pan over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 15 to 20 minutes. In a blender or food processor, purée the mixture on high. Push mixture through a sieve to strain.
(2) Dry shake all ingredients to blend.
(3) Strain over crushed ice, preferably into a tiki glass.
Shaddock & Smoke
At the Up & Up by Chaim Dauermann
Ardbeg Scotch, produced in Islay, provides a peaty intensity to this stiff drink.
� oz. lemon juice
� oz. Amaretto
1 oz. Pompelmocello (grapefruit limoncello)
1� oz. Ardbeg Scotch Seltzer Grapefruit peel, for garnish
(1) Shake all ingredients with ice.
(2) Strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass.
(3) Top with a splash of seltzer and garnish
with a grapefruit peel.