Naked & Famous – Del Maguey Vida
Sam Ross’ the ‘Naked & Famous’ probably is one of the most famous Mezcal cocktails out there. It has been a long time since I mixed the last one, so I had to change that. However, I replaced two bottles with slight variations of the original ingredients.
I finally got my hands on some Del Maguey Vida Mezcal. This bottle is kind of ubiquitous in the States. The seven to eight year old Espadin agaves come from the village of San Luis del Río in Oaxaca. The Piñas are roasted in earth ovens using different types of wood like Mezquite, Pino, Encino and Copal Tepomaco. After crushing with an electrical mill, the fermentation follows for eight to ten days in 1400 l vats. Distillation is done on 350 l copper pot stills. The final ABV is 42 %.
Classic smoke and glue
While there are more complex Mezcals out there for sipping neat, the Del Maguey Vida offers a great combination of typical smoke and agave notes. Yet, it still has enough power to stand out in cocktails. I got classic Mesquite wood smoke, glue notes and exotic fruits. The minerality which develops towards the aftertaste reminded me of clay. Beneath it all lies a certain tannic taste.
A ‘Last Word’ variation
Sam Ross created his ‘Naked & Famous’ as a ‘Last Word’ variation. Since, I do not own Aperol, I went with a naturally coloured, organic Aperitivo. This way, the colour is not so bright as with the original. Actually, I added a bit of lactic acid to bring out the colour more. Nevertheless, I also used Chartreuse M.O.F.S instead of regular Chartreuse Jaune.
3 cl Organic Aperitivo
3 cl Chartreuse M.O.F.S.
3 cl Lime Juice
Garnish: Lime Twist;
Song: The Naked and Famous – The Sun;
My ‘Naked & Famous’ variation delivers everything you would expect from the original. At the same time, it comes off as more balanced through the use of a more natural Aperitivo. The combination of smoky agave, slight bitterness as well as characteristic Chartreuse flavours just works perfectly in this.
*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. I received the mezcal for free from Jacobi Spirits
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