The Darkening Sun of Oaxaca

Without any doubt: some drinks are more eye-catching than others and are therefore also more frequently asked for. Of course this always depends on the image of the epitome of a cocktail that you have in your own mind. For many people it is still the colorful and opulent glass with all sorts of decorative elements. Well, today’s cocktail is certainly a compromise here because on the one hand it comes with only a small garnish (apart from the head of Espuma), but on the other hand it is nevertheless a real eye-catcher. And it tastes absolutely awesome.

This is mainly due to its quite powerful ingredients: Mezcal, agave syrup, lime, passion fruit, Campari, mango and chili. Accordingly there is a lot of intensity waiting for your taste buds: fruit, smoke, heat, exotic flavors and a fine bitter note – like the ingredients of a classic adventure movie. “The Darkening Sun of Oaxaca” is basically a tribute to Mexican-South American ingredients and combines typical flavors of this part of the world. (Even though the mango is native to Asia, meanwhile it has been cultivated for a long time in Mexico and parts of South America.)

The drink basically features the classical genome of a sour (though the addition of passion fruit could lead to a discussion whether this is essentially a “smash”), which, however, not only gets an optical accent by the addition of espuma but also opens up the gates to another dimension of flavors and texture. And it’s not an ordinary espuma we’re talking about but a marvelous mango chili espuma! To make this one you’ll need the juice of a mango and this might call for a juicer under some circumstances. It can of course also be purchased inside a Tetra Pak, but many of those mango juices contain a good portion of sugar or other juices. Nonetheless you can use them, but a 100% mango juice performs better, as I think.

With the “Darkening Sun of Oaxaca” I simply wanted to offer an intense cocktail with a certain potential for the masses. Whether I succeeded with that or not I cannot tell because smoke and heat of the drink are perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea. However, if you do not shy away from these two characteristics, you will certainly love this drink.

Recipe:

4.5 cl of Smoky Oaxaca Mezcal (for instance Del Maguey Vida)
1 Passion fruit
3 cl of lime juice
2 cl Campari
1 cl agave syrup
Mango chili espuma (see below)

Mango chili espuma: Mix 250 ml of mango juice (see above) with two Bird’s Eye or Thai Chilis in a blender and blend. Add about half a teaspoon of xanthan gum (E415) and whisk until no lumps are left and everything has become slightly more viscous. Finally, fill in a cream siphon (cream whipper), load with two N2O capsules and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.

Preparation: Cut the passion fruit into halves and add the inside into your shaker together with the rest of the ingredients except for the Espuma. Shake vigorously on ice and double-strain into your pre-chilled glass. Last, top with Mango chili espuma.

Glass: Tumbler / Single Old Fashioned

Garnish: one Bird’s Eye Chili / Thai Chili

Buying sources: At specialized retailers or online.

 

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