What good is a good Friday night meal without a good Friday night drink?
This drink is dedicated to growing up on the border of Mexico, while at the same time recognizing that I had no idea what a good drink tasted like back then. Scotch and apple soda? Sure. Dr. Pepper and Malibu Rum? Obviously.
Nowadays I’d like to think I’ve got a bit more sense. Or at least I’ve gotten better at my hobbies. So without further delay here’s a mezcal drink that will earn you some points and make you think you’re a better salsa dancer than you really are.
Ingredients:
- Mezcal (For the price, I like Vida)
- Fresh lime wedges
- Fresh orange/tangerine wedges
- Agave syrup
- Topo Chico
- Mexican powdered spice (Trechas, Tajin, etc)
I think a mason jar is the perfect size for this drink. In a pinch you can also use a small glass cup. Let’s just say keep it between 8-12oz.
Rim the glass using an orange wedge and the mexican powdered spice. Peel the orange or tangerine and drop it in. Fill it up with ice about 3/4 of the way. Pour in about a tablespoon of agave. A little more if you like sweet drinks, a little less if you like mezcal. Pour in 1.5 oz of mezcal (aka either one big shot or a shot and a half).
Fill with Topo Chico.
Pinch in the lime juice from a small lime wedge. Stir it up. Surprise your friends with how much they actually like Mezcal, and at how well you dance.
Note from the editor:
I’m actually not a huge fan of dropping my lime wedge into the drink. On a pretentious cooking note – there’s a ton of bitterness in the white part of the rind. Also, you can’t control how much lime juice gets into the drink if you just dump the whole wedge in. On a “oh come on man” note – I worked as a bartender growing up, believe me, you don’t want the lime dropped in there.