Tag: lime juice

mezcal

Mezcal in Maui | The Best Recipe for People Who Love Tropical and Smoky Cocktails

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The Mezcal in Maui is a tropical take on a mezcal margarita. If you love tiki drinks and smoky cocktails, this is the recipe for you.

When I first saw the recipe for this Mezcal in Maui cocktail on Instagram, I got EXCITED. Truly, my heart skipped a little. A tropical AND smoky drink? With mezcal??! YES PLZ. But then my heart broke a little when I looked at the recipe and realized I needed lime juice. If you saw my last post, you read about my citrus plight. There was no way I was going to attempt to make the Mezcal in Maui without lime juice. I knew I would need to do this cocktail recipe justice.

And boy, am I glad I waited. This recipe is incredible.

The Mezcal in Maui was created by Casey of City Gal Cocktails. You can find more amazing recipes on her Instagram page. (Seriously, go give her a follow right now and then come back!) As a cocktail blogger, a loooot of my followers on Instagram are fellow cocktail aficionados. The #drinkstagram community is really supportive and inspiring but there are a handful of other cocktail creators that really stand out. Casey’s one of them.

The Mezcal in Maui is a tropical take on a mezcal margarita. If you love tiki drinks and smoky cocktails, this is the recipe for you.

I ended up tweaking Casey’s original recipe just a tad by lowering the amount of pineapple juice and added some Demerara syrup. Demerara syrup is used in some tiki cocktails so it seemed a fitting choice for this tropical spin on a mezcal margarita. Adding the sweet syrup seems to enhance the smokiness and smoothing out the edges of the pineapple juice. If you don’t have access to Demerara sugar or turbinado sugar to make the Demerara syrup, regular simple syrup will work just fine.

If you’re unfamiliar with what mezcal is, I’ll give you as brief of an explanation as possible. Mezcal is a liquor distilled from agave. Sound familiar? Tequila is distilled from agave, too, only for it to be considered “tequila” is must be distilled from blue agave.

Mezcal is also cooked and distilled much differently than tequila, which is why there is such a big taste distinction between the two liquors. Traditionally, tequila is steamed and then distilled in copper pots, which is why it tastes crisp and bright. Mezcal, on the other hand, is usually cooked in lava-rock-lined pits with charcoal and wood before being distilled in clay pots. All those earthy elements lend a smoky flavor that is unlike any other liquor out there.

The Mezcal in Maui is a tropical take on a mezcal margarita. If you love tiki drinks and smoky cocktails, this is the recipe for you.

Smoky cocktails are kind of a big trend right now. Actually smoky anything is popular. I’ve seen recipes for smoked ice cream, smoked queso (WHAAAT!), smoked salt, and the list goes on. There are a lot of ways to achieve a smoke flavor in cocktails, including smoke guns (hi Santa), lapsang souchong tea, and using grilled or charred garnishes.

Another way to achieve a smoky cocktail is to use mezcal. If you want just a touch of smoky essence, use a splash mezcal in one of your favorite tequila or vodka recipes. A Moscow Mule with 1/4 oz of mezcal would be a great way to incorporate a hint of smoke without it being overpowering.

If you’re interested in trying out another smoky cocktail with mezcal, check out the Cero Miedo. I find myself craving its smoky/spicy/sweet flavor regularly on these hot Texas evenings. It’s honestly SO good & is probably the cocktail recipe I’m the proudest of. No horn-tooting happening over here.

The Mezcal in Maui is a tropical take on a mezcal margarita. If you love tiki drinks and smoky cocktails, this is the recipe for you.

Have you ever made a cocktail with mezcal? If so, what’s your favorite recipe? Leave me a comment down below so I can feature more smoky cocktails!

Ingredients for a Mezcal in Maui

  • 1 1/2 oz mezcal
  • 1/2 oz triple sec
  • 2 oz pineapple juice
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • 1/4 oz Demerara syrup or simple syrup
  • mint & lime wheel for garnish

How to Make a Mezcal in Maui

Add the mezcal, triple sec, pineapple juice, lime juice, and Demerara syrup to a shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain into a lowball glass filled with ice. Garnish with the lime wheel and mint.

Mezcal in Maui

A tropical take on a mezcal margarita. If you love smoky cocktails, you'll love the Mezcal in Maui.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 3 mins
Course Drinks
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 1½ oz mezcal
  • ½ oz triple sec/orange liqueur
  • 2 oz pineapple juice
  • ¾ oz lime juice
  • ¼ oz Demerara syrup*
  • lime wheel & mint for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Add the mezcal, triple sec, pineapple juice, lime juice, and Demerara syrup to a shaker filled with ice.
  • Shake well.
  • Strain into a lowball glass filled with ice.
  • Garnish with the lime wheel and mint.

Notes

*You can find the easy recipe for Demerara syrup here OR you can use simple syrup instead..
Keyword demerara syrup, lime, lime juice, mezcal, orange liqueur, pineapple juice

Be sure to tag me on Instagram (@girlandtonic_) if you make this tropical and smoky cocktail.

Gimlet
gin

Gimlet | A 2- or 3-Ingredient Classic Cocktail

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The Gimlet is a classic cocktail made with gin, lime juice, and sugar. It's light, crisp, and refreshing, making it the perfect spring-time drink.
Gimlet

Wow. Crazy times, right? We are experiencing something unprecedented as a country–no, as a planet– right now thanks to COVID-19. I hemmed and hawed about whether or not I should post cocktail recipes, because it all seems a little frivolous right now.

However, I’m thinking you’ve got some extra time on your hands. And since I’m assuming most people can’t go out, I’ve compiled a list of several classic cocktail recipes that have 3 ingredients you probably already have. I’ll be writing them over the next week or two. If you don’t have the right ingredients, make some modifications and call it a quarantine experiment. Everything is more fun when you call it an experiment, right?

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

The Gimlet is a classic cocktail. Traditionally, it calls for lime cordial (the most common being Rose’s Lime Juice). However, I don’t have any lime cordial and I’m not about to brave the stores for something so… unessential. So I’m improvising by using fresh lime juice and sugar. It’s definitely different than what a Gimlet usually tastes like, so make sure to give both versions a fair try once grocery stores and online-orders are bit easier to deal with. One plus side to using fresh lime juice is the extra dose of vitamin C. Extra vitamin C in a time like this sounds like a good idea to me.

The Gimlet is a classic cocktail made with gin, lime juice, and sugar. It's light, crisp, and refreshing, making it the perfect spring-time drink.

If you have citric acid chillin’ in your pantry, though, you can make this homemade lime cordial. I really want to try this in the future so if any of y’all make it, let me know how it is!

If you have some leftover rose simple syrup, honey simple syrup, matcha simple syrup, or beet simple syrup from one of my other cocktails, you could always use that in place of the traditional simple syrup in this recipe. See? So many ways to experiment while you’re stuck at home! Also– if you’ve got a kid at home with you, make them a mocktail with lime juice, sparkling water, and simple syrup. It’ll basically be a DIY Sprite, with no artificial weird stuff.

I opted to make this cocktail outside, because why not? It took me all of 45 extra seconds to carry the ingredients outside. I can’t believe it’s the first time I’ve ever mixed a drink outdoors. It definitely won’t be my last. I actually made this Gimlet while wearing my baby in a ring sling. Baby-wearing, cocktail-slinging. I am Mama, hear me roar. Or something like that.

The Gimlet is a classic cocktail made with gin, lime juice, and sugar. It's light, crisp, and refreshing, making it the perfect spring-time drink.f

The Ingredients for a Traditional Gimlet

The Ingredients for a Do-What-You-Can-With-What-You-Have Gimlet

How to Make It

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Stir until the syrup is incorporated well. Or rebel against tradition since we’re already not using lime cordial and shake the dang thing. Strain into a coupe glass or martini glass. Sip on your porch or balcony to add some vitamin D to your vitamin C.

Gin recommendations for Gimlets (or other cocktails that put gin on full display)

I only had Opihr gin on-hand (a spiced gin) and while it was still definitely good, I would recommend gins that lean more clean-tasting, like:

  • Hendricks (distilled with cucumbers, so this would be complemented in a Gimlet)
  • Bombay Sapphire
  • Prairie (certified organic & gluten-free) **This has been my go-to gin for years. I love supporting small-scale distilleries and family-run farms. I love, love, love this company. No, this isn’t a sponsored post but, uh, Prairie Organics if you’re reading… hi 🙋🏻‍♀️
  • Beefeater (has a less-pronounced juniper taste & goes nicely with citrus)
  • Koval (a kosher and organic small-batch dry gin)

I’m personally just getting into the wide, wide world of gin. Honestly, prior to starting this cocktail blog and building relationships with other cocktail bloggers, I didn’t know gins could be SO diverse and distinct. We’re all learning here together at Girl & Tonic! If you’re interested in delving into gins more, or you’re just bored at home with nothing to read because your library’s closed, The Gin Observer is informative and has a ton of gin brands and cocktail recipes to explore.

The Authentic Daiquiri
rum

The Authentic Daiquiri | A Classic Cocktail with 3 Ingredients

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The authentic Daiquiri is a classic, 3-ingredient cocktail made with rum, lime juice, and simple syrup.

The daiquiri is a classic cocktail. As classic as it gets. And yet somehow, I know I have to pause and clarify just what kind of daiquiri I’m talking about here. I’m talking about a REAL, authentic daiquiri of yesteryear. Not the bright red frozen insult spilling out the top of a much-too-tall stadium cup. Those things make my stomach churn just looking at them. Why we would do such a thing to a time-honored classic is beyond me.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

The Daiquiri is a classic, 3-ingredient cocktail made with rum, lime juice, and simple syrup.

The Daiquiri has a long history, dating back to the early 1900s. Although technically, an old British Navy admiral named Edward “Old Grog” Vernon, could be first credited for the combination of rum, citrus, and sugar in an attempt to sober-up his crew. Anyhow, the Daiquiri lived in relative obscurity until the 1930s until Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald brought attention to it.

Hemingway actually loved the drink so much that he concocted his own variation of the drink, The Hemingway Daiquiri. The attention from renowned authors, coupled with the diminishing supply of whiskey (thanks to Prohibition and WWII), Americans were now more willing to turn to the rum which was previously frowned upon for being the drink of sailors and vagrants.

Brian Petro’s article about the history of the Daiquiri goes into interesting detail and even explains how this cocktail became the swirling, sugary mixture you see in dispensers at sporting events. It’s quite an informative read if you can spare a few extra minutes.

The Daiquiri is a classic, 3-ingredient cocktail made with rum, lime juice, and simple syrup. Garnish it with a slice of lime using a miniature clothespin for a fun detail.

So, let’s reclaim the Daiquiri name for what it is- a sophisticated yet uncomplicated cocktail. (Also, can we talk about that adorable mini-clothespin? I could just squeal. You can find your own at Dollar Tree.)

The Daiquiri is a classic, 3-ingredient cocktail made with rum, lime juice, and simple syrup.

The 3 Ingredients for an Authentic Daiquiri

  • 1 1/2 – 2 oz rum
  • 1 oz simple syrup
  • 3/4 oz lime juice (about 1 lime)

How to Make an Authentic Daiquiri

Juice your lime into a cocktail shaker. My lime had already been chillin’ in the fridge for a while so it wasn’t the freshest. But I’m sure the sailors aboard Old Grogg’s ship managed with worse. Add a generous amount of ice, the rum, & the simple syrup.

Shake all 3 ingredients vigorously for 30 seconds. Push through the burning in your arm muscle and the chill in your hand. Unless you can shake a cocktail shaker vigorously for 30 seconds without your arm getting tired. In that case… kudos to you and you might as well keep on shaking until it does to get a little workout in. Pour into a coupe glass and put your nose in the air while you drink it because you, my friend, now know how to make an authentic daiquiri.

Don’t have a cocktail shaker? Check out this one:

It’s gorgeous, affordable, and comes with a bar spoon AND a jigger. This is one small investment you need to make if you’re interested in creating cocktails at home!

Interested in other 3 ingredient cocktails? Check out these easy cocktails:

vodka

Orange Cassidy | A Freshly-Squeezed Take on a Moscow Mule

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I have quite the schpeel to go with this Moscow mule modification. There’s a slim chance you know the name Orange Cassidy already. If you do, I love you for it. If not, well…. hopefully you’ll still love me after this is all over with.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like! 

My schpeel starts with a confession and ends with exciting news. Okay. Are you ready? I… am a huge wrestling fan. But it hasn’t always been this way, or at least not for a while. I grew up begging my parents to let me watch WWF and WCW with my brother, probably like most kids in the 90s. I loved me some DDP and Sting. And then I remember learning that it was “fake” and feeling crushed. Deceived. Betrayed. How could this be true????

Orange Cassidy, a cocktail inspired by AEW's too-cool-to-care Orange Cassidy

My husband was a fan, too, and he even had his own persona in his neighborhood wrestling league as a kid. When he told me that a new wrestling league, All Elite Wrestling, was premiering several months ago, I didn’t really care. The night it premiered, he was hooping and hollering from the other room and truthfully I gave him a hard time about it. This is fake, you know, I told him, how are you into this again? Well, joke’s on me because the next week I was watching with him and couldn’t get enough. I have a confession, I muttered the next morning, I can’t stop thinking about AEW.

Now here we are, 5 months later, heading to our first-ever live wrestling event. (I’ll keep the price of the tickets to myself to hold on to what remaining pride I have left.) To say I’m stoked would an understatement. I’M FLIPPING OUT. Make fun of me all you want, but the skill that these people have is insane. The extra drama just makes it even more entertaining. Is it cheesy? Oh totally. But I am HERE FOR IT. Every Wednesday (and Tuesday). It’s a thrilling blend of pure athleticism and theatre. Pure entertainment, I tell ya.

Confession: dropped. News: shared. Now I can tell you about the drink. Orange Cassidy is the name of one of these wrestlers. His shtick is that he’s too cool to take himself seriously. Check out the vid to get an understanding of this joker:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lGdYtaclkk

I wanted to think of a drink that embodied his “can’t be bothered to care” attitude. It’s simple, down-to-earth, and has a slight zing to it. Just like Orange Cassidy.

Orange Cassidy | All Elite Wrestling Cocktail Series A Moscow mule variation that captures Orange Cassidy's "can't be bothered to care" attitude. It's simple, down-to-earth, and has a zing to it. Just like Orange Cassidy.

The Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 oz vodka
  • 1/2 oz orange liqueur
  • 1/2 oz freshly-squeezed orange juice
  • 1/2 oz freshly-squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 oz freshly-squeezed lime juice
  • zest from orange & lemon
  • 1 fresh sage leaf
  • dash of bitters (optional)
  • ginger beer

The How-To

Pour the vodka into a cocktail shaker. Muddle the sage in the shaker with a muddler or the back of a spoon to release that earthy goodness. Add ice some ice and zest the orange and lemon into the shaker. Add the freshly-squeezed Orange Cassidy orange juice, lemon juice, and lime juice. Dash that bitters. Shake. Pour into a copper mug or lowball glass filled with ice. Top off with your ginger beer. Garnish with an orange slice and Orange Cassidy’s signature aviators.

**This cocktail will be the first of many in my AEW cocktail series. Brace yourself. I’ve got a notepad filled with inspiration.**

Wedding Gifts Copper Mugs Moscow Mules
Orange Cassidy, a Moscow mule cocktail inspired by AEW's too-cool-to-care Orange Cassidy

Intrigued by AEW? Check it out on Wednesday 7pm CST on TNT and on Tuesdays 6pm CST on YouTube. If you have Hulu, you can get yourself caught up on all the previous eps. Just in time for the upcoming pay-per-view on February 29th. (Do I sound like a paid representative yet? …One can wish.)

Orange Cassidy

A freshly-squeezed take on a Moscow Mule.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 3 mins
Course Drinks
Servings 1

Ingredients
  

  • 1½ oz vodka
  • ½ oz orange liqueur
  • ½ oz freshly-squeezed orange juice
  • ½ oz freshly-squeezed lemon juice
  • ½ oz freshly-squeezed lime juice
  • zest from orange or lemon
  • 1 sage leaf
  • 2+ oz ginger beer

Instructions
 

  • Add the vodka & sage leaf into a cocktail shaker.
  • Muddle the sage with a muddler or the back of a spoon to release that earthy goodness.
  • Add ice some ice, the juices, and zest the orange and/or lemon into the shaker.
  • Shake well.
  • Pour into a copper mug or lowball glass filled with ice.
  • Top off with your ginger beer.
  • Garnish with an orange slice and drink while wearing Orange Cassidy's signature aviators.
Keyword ginger beer, lemon, lime, orange blossom water, orange liqueur, sage, vodka
Copper Mugs Moscow Mules