I Am About 50 Percent More Into You Now… Just Sayin’!

I’ve previously mixed drinks that called for mezcal,but have substituted tequila because I a) didn’t have mezcal,and b) have heard stories about its taste. But in my search for spooky Tiki drinks for Halloween I came upon a drink that specifically called for mezcal and decided to pick up a small bottle and give it a try. While very smoky,it does work well in small amounts. So here are a pair of mixings to use it in.

Ethan Armstrong,a bartender at Deep Ellum,was joking around one day with a friend who was a big Walking Dead fan,and it inspired him to create a drink. Oaxacan,pronounced “wuh-ha-kuh”,is a state in Mexico known for mezcal,so he decided that not only would it make a good pun for a name,but it would be something different to make a Tiki drink with mezcal. Using Donn’s classic Zombie as a template,he came up with this riff on the older version that used apricot liqueur. The result is the Oaxacan Dead(wah-hock-en dead,get it?).

Mix #234 Oaxacan Dead

1.5oz mezcal
1/2oz apricot liqueur
1/2oz falernum
1/2oz lime juice
2 dashes Peychauds bitters
2 dashes orange bitters

Shake with ice and strain into glass with fresh ice.

Woof! Do like smoky? Cuz that’s what you’re going to taste. It starts with smoke on the nose,then there’s some citrus and spice,then a heavy smoke aftertaste. Not my thing,but if you like smoky or are a fan of mezcal,I think you’ll dig it.

And as with Donn’s classic drink,this has spawned several versions. Here’s one from bar syrup company Liber & Co.:

Mix #235 Liber & Co. Oaxacan Dead

3/4oz reposado tequila
3/4oz aged Jamaican rum
1tsp mezcal
1/2oz falernum
3/4oz lime juice
1/4oz grapefruit juice
1/4oz cinnamon syrup
1tsp grenadine
1 dash aromatic bitters

Shake with ice and strain into glass with fresh ice.

This was much more to my liking,with a nice mix of citrus and spice and just some smoke on the end. I’ve now decided that mezcal should be used like absinthe;in sparse amounts,as a flavoring.

After a hard day of scavenging,there’s nothing like a good cocktail. Enjoy!