El Mirador – Pasote Reposado
After tropical month, it is time to shift the focus on something else. Therefore, I decided to make March ‘agave month’. What better way to start than by mixing up a delicious and unique margarita variation? This cocktail uses reposado tequila, along with a spicy tequila infusion, as well as mandarin Curaçao.
I used the Pasote Reposado Tequila here which is quite new to Germany. The bottlings we have here still are produced by Felipe Camarena’s distillery. The Reposado spends six months in American oak barrels. On top of that, the tequila is verified additive free and bottled at 40 %.
Great agave notes
The Pasote Reposado starts with a lot of different agave notes. Furthermore, you can taste a combination of black pepper, chili and red paprika. In the taste, a certain minerality develops, too. The oak barrel is there, but does not distract from the fruitiness of agave. The aftertaste is long with even more agaves.
Inspired by pickled Jalapenos
The inspiration for this drink came when I made pickled Jalapenos. I was intrigued by the smell of the pickling brine that I instantly knew that I had to create a drink with it. So, I infused tequila with the pickling spices. However, since the infusion turned out quite powerful, I used just half an ounce of it. With the classic Margarita as a template, I switched out the Curaçao for a mandarin flavoured one.
1,5 cl Jalapeno Pickling Spices Infused Tequila**
0,75 cl Artesian Spirits Mandarin Liqueur
2 Dashes Bitter End Chesapeake Bay Bitters
3 cl Lime Juice
Shake – strain – chilled Cocktail glass;
Garnish: Lime Twist; Song: Calexico – El Mirador;
**Infuse laurel, black pepper, dried Jalapeno flakes, mustard seeds and oregano in 100 ml tequila – strain after three days – bottle in clean bottle.
The ‘El Mirador’ starts with notes similar to a regular Margarita – agave and citrus flavours. Yet, after a short while the spices of the infusion kick in. They add a certain umami flavour to the mix. The bitters pick up on those flavours and add a distinct spiciness, too. In the end you end up with a great Spiced Margarita version!
*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. The tequila was provided by Bremer Spirituosen Contor.
