This is the time of year when blood oranges are in season. They have an epically short season—usually just a handful of weeks in the winter. I've been buying blood oranges every time I go to the grocery store lately, and making cocktails with them, of course! One of my favorite liquor pairings was this mezcal cocktail.
If you don't know mezcal, it's basically tequila's smokier cousin. Both tequila and mezcal are distilled from the agave plant. But the agave is steamed when making tequila, whereas it's smoked in earthen pits for mezcal. I'm a huge fan of smoky spirits (especially Islay whisky), so mezcal is right up my alley. If you've never had it, give it a try sometime!
BLOOD ORANGE MEZCALI
1 1/2 oz. mezcal
3/4 oz. fresh squeezed blood orange juice
1/2 oz bourbon barrel aged maple syrup
dash of cardamom bitters
dash of Peychaud's bitters
dash of Tabasco sauce
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Fill 3/4 full with ice and shake 20 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with a blood orange wheel. Bonus: eat the booze-soaked blood orange wheel when you finish the drink!
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