Smoky Ginger Cocktail

A few weeks ago, I mentioned a smoky cocktail with ginger beer from District of Pi. It inspired me to make this drink, which features muddled fresh oregano.

The star player her is mezcal, a Mexican spirit similar to tequila but with an intense smoke flavor that comes from roasting the maguey, the form of agave that is the liquor's basis.

I see mezcal more and more on cocktail menus these days and after using it, I can see why. Its smoke flavor is much more intense than that of scotch, another spirit used to add a hint of smoke. There's no hint here; more like a punch.

For this drink, I used the Del Maguey brand Vida mezcal. A lot of the mezcals on the market come with a worm or other dead animal sitting at the bottom of the bottle. I find that rather repulsive. Del Maguey has no use for such gimmicks and I believe their spirits are generally regarded as higher quality than the brands with the bugs.

Smoky Ginger Cocktail

1/2 oz. fresh lime juice (juice from 1/2 lime)
1 tbsp. fresh oregano leaves
1/4 oz. agave syrup
1 1/2 oz. mezcal
2 oz. ginger beer

1. Squeeze the lime juice into the metal cup of a Boston shaker. Add the oregano leaves and use a muddler to crush the leaves into the juice. Add ice, agave syrup and mezcal and shake until cold. Add ginger beer and poor mixture into the other cup to combine then pour into a collins glass with some more ice. Serve with a straw.