If your taste in cocktails turns woodsier and smokier in colder days, you could go for scotch, of course, or bourbon and rye.
But maybe it's time you gave mezcal a try. Mezcal is an older spirit than its Mexican counterpart, tequila, with which it is frequently confused. It has a reputation for being harsher. But in the right hands, it's a drinker's dream.
Mel Bowdish, a bartender at Pen & Quill, thinks mezcal is ready for the big time. She's featuring the spirit in a very sexy, smoky cocktail on the Station North bar's cocktail menu.
It's called Oaxacan Girlfriend, the state of Oaxaca in Mexico being the traditional center of mezcal production. The rich color of apricot nectar, it's the kind of cocktail that you just enjoy having on the bar in front of you. It's a great slow-sipping drink.
Both tequila and mezcal are derived from the agave plant, but their production methods are very different. "The main difference," Bowdish said, "is that with mezcal, the agave plant is steamed in the ground. Simmering it underneath the ground gives mezcal its distinct smoky earthy flavor.
"For bartenders, working with it is a dream," Bowdish said. "But complementing it can be difficult."
Bowdish said that Oaxacans will sip mezcal while eating orange slices dusted with chili and cocoa powders "You get heat from the chilies and sweetness from the cocoa," Bowdish said. "Citrus is just always a versatile mixer."
Bowdish's goal was to make a cocktail using those traditional flavors. Her solution — a simple syrup made from chilies and cocoa powder that take the rough edges off the mezcal. Orange juice, added as a mixer, makes the drink bright and smooth.
You'll want this drink to be your wintertime girlfriend.
How To Make the Oaxacan Girlfriend
1 1/2 oz. El Peloton de la Muerte mezcal
1 oz. freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 oz. cocoa-chili syrup (see recipe)
Shake, serve on the rocks in a highball glass, garnished with an orange slice, half dressed in cocoa-chili powder.
Cocoa-chili syrup
3 cups Sugar in the Raw
3 cups water
3 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
10-15 dried chilies, chopped
Chop dried chilies, remove seeds and set aside. Place sugar and water over medium heat in a saucepan, stirring constantly to avoid burning sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and add cocoa powder and chilies. Let simmer for five minutes, taste, and remove from heat when the mixture is of desired spice. (Note: Allowing the mixture to simmer longer will increase heat.). Line a chinois or sieve with cheesecloth, and double strain liquid into heat-safe container. Let cool in an ice bath or allow to come down to room temperature and refrigerate.
Where to Get the Oaxacan Girlfriend
Pen & Quill
1701 N. Charles St., Station North
410-601-3588
$10