More Mezcal and Tequila Cocktails
And the Hits Just Keep on Coming; Plus a Pictorial History of Franksgiving 2022.
Whenever I come in contact with a new cocktail menu of original drinks, I always ask the head bartender or beverage director which cocktail has shown itself to be the break-out hit with the public. And I always get the same answer: “What do you think? The agave drink!”
On Friday, Nov. 18, my book Mezcal and Tequila Cocktails won an IACP award as best cookbook about wine, beer or spirits. I was surprised by the announcement, to say the least. The book had come out in April of 2021–an eon ago in publishing-world terms. I thought for certain that the IACP voters would have long since forgotten about it and voted for a title that was fresher in their memories.
But, upon further rumination, the choice makes total sense. For, even if people might had forgotten about my book, they certainly haven’t forgotten about cocktails made with mezcal and tequila. In fact, by all evidence, such drinks are constantly on their minds. Like rye and Negroni variations and Espresso Martinis, agave cocktails is a drinking trend that is simply not going away.
I first noticed the public mania for mezcal and tequila cocktails in 2018, and wrote about it for the New York Times. Enterprising bartenders had been mixing cocktails with agave spirits for a decade by then. But it was in the late aughts that things went truly berserk. The drinking public wanted all their usual potions made with mezcal and agave, it seemed, and the cocktails bars obliged. Mezcal Margaritas, Mezcal Negronis, etc. I followed up on my article in the Times with a proposal for an entire book devoted to new agave drinks. That proposal was accepted in about five minutes, as I recall.
Since the book came out, the public’s thirst for agave cocktails has not slackened. If anything, it has picked up speed. The average new cocktail menu of twelve drinks will have multiple agave selections on it. Take the new menu at Grand Army, for instance, in which all the drinks are inspired by game shows. (If you have fond memories of Bob Barker and Alex Trebek, this is the menu for you.) The cocktail list has 13 drinks on it; three are made with agave spirits, including Survivor (fig-infused mezcal, Zucca Amaro, bianco vermouth and a measure of the house Fernet shot Hard Start; yes, that means there’s a cocktail inside this cocktail), Wipeout (tequila, Aperol, raspberry, habanero pepper, lime) and Survey Says (mezcal, whiskey, espresso, mango, cardamom).
But then, it seems everywhere I go I encounter new agave cocktails. On a recent visit to Long Island Bar, bartender Phil Ward, who always has something interesting up his sleeve, served Mary Kate a new drink called Another Sunken Boat. It was a simple mezcal riff on the classic cocktail Remember the Maine, a rye drink made famous by 20th-century drinks writer Charles H. Baker Jr.; you can get a reliably good version of the original just blocks away from Long Island Bar, at the Sunken Harbor Club, which is run by St. John Frizell, the world’s leading authority on Baker.
Plugging tequila and mezcal into already existing cocktail formulae has been the predominant way bartenders have come up with good new agave cocktails in the past several years. The Division Bell (mezcal, Aperol, maraschino liqueur, lime juice) is a mezcal Last World. The Naked and Famous (mezcal, yellow Chartreuse, Aperol, lime juice) is a mezcal Paper Plane. The Tia Mia (mezcal, rum, curaçao, orgeat, lime juice) is a mezcal Mai Tai. The Siesta (tequila, Campari, lime juice, grapefruit juice) is a tequila Hemingway Daiquiri.
It’s a miracle nobody ever thought of an agave Remember the Maine before now. But here it is. And easy as pie it is to make, too. It is simply the same drink, but with the rye taken out and mezcal put in. The recipe is below, as is the recipe for the Survivor.
At this rate, a Mezcal and Tequila Cocktails II can not be too far away.
Another Sunken Boat
Phil Ward, Long Island Bar, Brooklyn, 2022
1 1/2 ounces Vida mezcal
3/4 Punt e Mes
1/2 Cherry Heering
2 dashes absinthe
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass half-filled with ice. Stir until chilled, about 15 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a cherry
Survivor
Molly Rhom, Patty Dennison and Ally Marrone, Grand Army, Brooklyn, 2022
1 ounce fig-infused Vida mezcal*
1 ounce Carpano Bianco vermouth
3/4 ounce Zucca Amaro
1/4 ounce Smith & Cross rum
1 tsp Empirical “The Plum, I Suppose”
1 tsp Hard Start (equal parts Fernet Branca and Branca Menta)
1 dash Absinthe
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass half filled with ice. Stir until chilled, about 15 seconds. Strain into a double rocks glass filled with one large cube. Garnish with orange twist.
*Fig-infused Mezcal
Measure by weight and volume:
150 grams dried figs
750 ml Vida mezcal
Combine ingredients and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Strain, label and date.
Odds and Ends…
By our count here at The Mix, Franksgiving 2022 was observed in at least eight states. Two of those, New York and New Jersey, were covered by yours truly—though additional reports came in from both states. Mary Kate, her son Richard, my son Asher and myself spent the day ping-ponging between Brooklyn, northern New Jersey and the Hudson Valley. All told, three hot dog places were visited—Karl Ehmer in Hillsdale, NJ, and Pete’s Hot Dogs and Tony’s Newburgh Lunch in Newburgh, NY—and seven different franks sampled. We even managed to pick up a Christmas tree along the way.
Below, as previously promised, are a few other pictorial highlights of the day, sent in by some intrepid subscribers of The Mix. Thanks to all who participated!
Chicago food journalism power couple Amy Cavanaugh (Chicago magazine) and Kenney Marlatt (The Chicago Tribune) celebrated the day in classic Windy City fashion, hitting up Chicago dog institution Byron’s—in business since 1975—for a feast of impeccable local cred. This photo alone makes me want to book a flight to Chicago.
Bob Easterly of Rochester, New York—one of my favorite destinations for hot dogs, as well as cocktails—made a beeline for the Rochester institution Dogtown and ordered a Golden Retriever (topped with bacon and melted cheddar) and a Hawaiian Poi (pineapple, bacon and bbq sauce, pictured above). I can’t imagine why the latter tastes like. But if pineapple pizza can be a thing, why not pineapple hot dogs?
Pablo Aguirre of Las Vegas journeyed to the Steamie Weenie (great name) in nearby Henderson for a Tucson dog (Sonoran style, wrapped in bacon with beans) and a Pushcart (New York style, with kraut, onions and mustard). By the looks of it, excellent choices.
My brother Eric, who lives in Glendale, CA, took his son Henry and wife Sue to the iconic Pink’s in Los Angeles for a Giada de Laurentiis dog (sautéed peppers, mushrooms and onions, chopped tomato, mozzarella) and Martha Stewart dog (relish, onions, bacon, chopped tomatoes, sauerkraut and sour cream). Henry, pictured above, knows how to eat a dog with panache!
A few “The Mix” Bar Regulars took it easy on themselves and made their franks at home. Which is technically against the rules, but we’ll give them a pass, because that’s the right thing to do with Bar Regulars, who are the very salt of the earth. Sother Teague, New York bar man extraordinaire, took some extra long Brooklyn Hot Dogs and slathered them with Inglehoffer Ghost Pepper mustard and B&G India Relish.
Thad Vogler, owner of Bar Agricole in San Francisco, also fed his family at home. By the looks of it, there were many condiment choices on hand at the Vogler table. “The Mix” supporter and family friend Kathleen Mclaughlin also prepared her frankfurter feast at home (below, with split grilled dogs, onion and cornichons!).
Mark Ward, the graphic designer for “The Mix,” was a day late celebrating Franksgiving. But he came through on Saturday with a classic Chicago dog. My sister Britta, also from Chicagoland, went the same way, tapping Chi-dog chain Portillo’s for her lunch. See you all in 2023!
Further Odds and Ends…
I will be at the Larchmont Public Library on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 3:30 p.m. to talk about my book Modern Classic Cocktails and sign copies. Cocktails will be served... The annual Seattle event “Holiday Drinks That Don’t Suck” will return on Dec. 5 and 6 at 6:30 at Vinnie’s Wine Shop. The event was first conceived in 2011. As usual, Rob Roy bar owner Anu Apte and Imbibe editor Paul Clarke will host…. The new Paccheri Pasta at Long Island Bar—made with a sausage ragu, rapini greens, kalamata olive, calabrian chili, bianco sardo cheese, and fried sage—is delicious… Regarding Tony’s Newburgh Lunch, mentioned above, if you visit make sure to order the patty melt. It is one of the best I’ve ever tasted, and I’ve had a lot of patty melts. The secret is the Texas sauce, which also goes on the diner’s hot dogs… Fort Defiance has an excellent new Rob Roy on its cocktail menu… The new movie She Said, about the New York Times’ investigation into endemic sexual harassment in Hollywood that brought down producer Harvey Weinstein and sparked the #MeToo movement, is recommended. In addition to being an expertly plotted, slow-burn journalistic thriller in the tradition of All the President’s Men and Spotlight, it accurately depicts the often unglamorous slog and the baked-in anxiety that is part of a reporter’s daily life. Look for some great supporting performances from New York stage actors Patricia Clarkson, Frank Wood, Peter Friedman and Zach Grenier. The latter two make the most out of only two scenes apiece.
Eight states woofrankyhoo!! I had a time searching for franks on Friday. Using Yelp, the closest place to me I could not find and nobody answered the phone (will find them sooner or later). The next closest place apparently closed. But I made a discovery that the little Sonoran family-owned Mexican restaurant nearby has 4 dogs on their menu, served as variations of Sonoran dogs, but sadly they were closed on Friday so I will be back! As I was driving around like a lunatic looking for a franks joint I felt like I was in a Robert Simonson Substack newsletter being narrated by Rod Serling. I was definitely in a zone!
I love Remember the Maines, and I love mezcal, so thank you for the riff recipe! Cheers