February has officially begun, so let’s celebrate the weekend with these three agave-based cocktails from the Back Bar at the Kimpton Hotel Eventi in New York City, overseen by Mixologist Jason Hedges.
Laguna Blanca
- 2 oz Thai Chili and Fresh Coconut-Infused Milagro Plata Tequila
- .75 oz Lime Juice
- .5 oz Cointreau
- .5 oz Lemongrass Syrup
Shake all ingredients and strain into a rocks glass with one large ice cube. Garnish with a kaffir lime leaf.
To make Thai Chili and Fresh Coconut-Infused Tequila: For every liter of tequila add one seeded Thai chili pepper and let infuse for a few hours. Remove the chili and the puree of one young Thai coconut. (To make the puree, puncture the coconut and remove the water, then split the coconut in half and scoop out the flesh. Blend water and flesh on high in a Vitamix blender then fine strain and combine with the Thai chili-infused tequila. Bottle and refrigerate.)
To make Lemongrass Syrup: In a saucepan, add 1 cup of chopped lemongrass for every quart of simple syrup. Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for and additional 10 minutes. Fine strain, then bottle and refrigerate.
Midnight Devil
- 2 oz Fresh Grapefruit and Jalapeno-Infused Los Siete Misterios Doba-Yeh Mezcal
- .75 oz Lime Juice
- .5 oz Cointreau
- .5 oz Vanilla Syrup
Shake all ingredients and strain into a salt and Abuelita chocolate-rimmed rocks glass with one large cube.
To make fresh grapefruit and jalapeño-infused Mezcal: Combine 1 seeded and roughly chopped jalapeño and 2 cleaned pink grapefruits with 1.5 liters of mezcal. (To clean the grapefruits, remove the skin and pith.) Let infuse for 2-3 days stirring or agitating occasionally. Fine strain pressing the solids to extract all the liquid from the grapefruit, then bottle.
To make vanilla syrup: For every 12 oz. simple syrup, combine 3 oz. of bourbon vanilla syrup paste and heat in a medium saucepan until the ingredients are sufficiently combined. Let cool, bottle and refrigerate.
Sonora
- 2 oz Pink Peppercorn-Infused Bacanora Kilinga Silvestre
- 1 oz Xila Lico De Avave 7 Notas
- 2 dashes Chocolate Bitters
Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled coupe.