Drinkies - A Date with Mezcal

This yummy cocktail gets its sweetness from date syrup and a little heat from chili peppers

​Some week this has been, eh? Especially if you’re following the news in our nation’s capital and other hot spots around the world. Who’s ready for some drinkies? (Shoots hand in the air, waves it with urgency.)
 
We sampled this tasty baby at a dinner party a few weeks ago and may I just say – oh hell yes! That’ll do nicely. 

Ilise put on her creative bar chef’s hat and fiddled with the flavor profiles until she arrived at this bebida deliciosa. We’re calling it A Date with Mezcal. 

Guess why. Yup, date syrup and mezcal are the featured ingredients. The taste is smoky, deep, and bittersweet. Want more details? Here you go.

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Print the Recipe- A Date with Mezcal Cocktail
File Size:	173 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

---

A Date with Mezcal
Recipe source: Ilise Goldberg
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 2 oz Mezcal
• 1 oz Tequila
• ½ oz Orange Liqueur such as Cointreau
• 2 ¾ oz Pineapple Juice (canned or fresh)
• ½ oz Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
• ¼ oz Hot Pepper Infused Date Syrup (see recipe below)
• Tajin seasoning to rim the glass 
• Pineapple for garnish

 
DIRECTIONS:

• In a shaker stir mezcal, tequila and date syrup together to allow the syrup to dissolve into the mix. Add Cointreau, pineapple juice, lime juice and ice and shake. 
• Run a lime wedge around half the rim of a doubles glass and dip in Tajin seasoning.
• Pour the mix over one large ice cube or a couple of smaller solid cubes and garnish with a pineapple wedge.
• I chose to infuse the date syrup with chiles instead of the Mezcal as the syrup may have multiple uses. However it is certainly possible to infuse the mezcal with chile peppers instead.

 
Hot Pepper Infused Date Syrup:
Pepper infused date syrup was inspired by a recipe from The View From Great Island

Ingredients:

• 1 cup date syrup
• About 3 Tbsp crushed red peppers (approx.. 10 small dried peppers or to taste). Another option is to try using some chipotle peppers to add a little extra smoke, but you’ll probably still need to add red peppers to get enough heat.

 
Instructions:

• Put the date syrup and the peppers in a double boiler or a glass bowl or measuring cup over a saucepan of boiling water.
• Mix the peppers into the date syrup and heat for several minutes until the temp is about 150 degrees F. A thermometer isn't necessary, but you don't want the date syrup to get too hot. Turn off the heat and let the date syrup sit over the water and steep for about 10 minutes.
• Taste the syrup – if not enough heat add some more peppers and repeat step 2.
• While the date syrup is lukewarm, strain it into a clean jar or jars.
• The date syrup can also be served with cheese. If you don’t have easy access to date syrup you could use honey instead.

Make a date with mezcal!