Cocktail of the Month: Oaxaca Libre

Sebastiano Tortilla works for a large international spirits company, and we know and appreciate each other. During a champagne tasting in downtown Zurich, he spoke about hibiscus and mezcal.

He immediately caught my attention because anything that sounds like a new taste gets tried out at my place — I'd been trying out different recipes long before I started looking for drinks for the The Coca Cola Company for finews.ch.

Guaranteed Success

As you know, my cocktails are often interpretations with a twist. It’s important that the drinks are easy to recreate at home and are sure to succeed. In cooking recipes, this is referred to as «guaranteed success.»

This is, of course, important in cooking, as one spends a long time in the kitchen before a dish can be served. The preparation time for drinks has also increased significantly in recent years; just think of milk punches. But that’s another story.

After Gin: «What's next?»

Let’s return to the conversation with Sebastiano. He touched on a hot topic with mezcal. Since the gin hype, which catapulted the juniper spirit to an all-time high in consumption, the spirits industry has been asking: «What's next?»

Agave spirits have been predicted to become the next hype for some time now. To confirm this, I call the best agave spirits dealer in Switzerland, Mex Buttacavoli.

Based in Rümlang, he and his wife Daniela have been running their business for 20 years, and sell over 3,500 spirits.

Dedicated to Enjoyment

Sales of tequila and mezcal, he begins, have certainly tripled for them in recent years. The demand for his more than 800 agave products has risen significantly. I like dealers like the Buttacavolis because they are dedicated to enjoyment. But no matter how you look at it, agave spirits are unlikely to reach the gin hype.

When we talk about Coca-Cola as a filler, the spirit must bring some strong flavors, as cola is dominant.

Smoky Aroma

That’s why I liked the idea of hibiscus-macerated mezcal. No sooner said than done—15g of loose hibiscus tea was placed with 4dl of mezcal in the fridge for 24 hours. Once this time had elapsed, the recipe tinkering began. In the end, there was a delicious drink in the glass that my neighbors also liked. As you know, every simple drink must please my housemates, my testers, and they must want another. This drink achieved that.

You can definitely taste the Coca-Cola in the foreground, followed by the freshness of the lime, the smoky aroma of the mezcal, and a nice, slightly dry, fruity note from the hibiscus blossom. This fine Oaxaca Libre was served in a Lalique 100 Point glass.

#cheers

This is how the drink is successfully made at home:

A long drink is a built-in-glass cocktail, so we don’t need a shaker…

You need for the drink:

…A perfect glass (in our case with a stem, but a long drink glass also works)
…A jigger
…A spoon
…Fresh limes
…Mezcal with hibiscus maceration, in our case Montelobos Espadin
…Coca-Cola
…Ice cubes
…Dried lime wheel 

Step-by-step into the glass:
…Ice cubes (if you have, use a 5x5cm ice cube)
…6cl Montelobos Espadin (with hibiscus maceration)
…3cl fresh lime juice
…Mix with Coca-Cola to taste

Add everything step by step into the glass, finally stirring gently with the spoon. Garnish with the dried lime wheel or alternatively a fresh slice.

#cheers

About Peter Jauch…

… Spirit sommelier with a penchant for high-class cocktails, often paired with the best food.
… Author of coffee table books on gin and champagne.
… An experienced host of spirits and champagne tastings.
… Organizer of an experiential festival with friends.