Death Valley at Sunset
Known for her innovative cocktails, Caribbean rum aficionado Shannon Mustipher creates drinks that make for an instant vacation in a glass. This cocktail, from her award-winning book Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails, puts a smooth, tropical spin on a spicy margarita. Papaya tempers the chile liqueur’s heat, while savory avocado gives a gentle lift to the herbal and grassy notes of the tequila. The recipe makes enough avocado oil–washed tequila for about 8 drinks, but it also makes an excellent sipper on its own. Don’s Mix is a beloved tiki ingredient that balances sweet and sour flavors. It will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up 2 weeks and can be used in many tropical cocktails. Shannon likes to serve the drink up in a coupe glass, but you can also serve it in a margarita glass on ice, like we show it here, for a cooling drink perfect for warm summer nights.
Ingredients
For the avocado oil–washed tequila:
- 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) avocado oil
- 2 cups (16 fl. oz./475 ml) tequila
For the Don’s Mix:
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) water
- 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) honey
- About 2 cups (16 fl. oz./475 ml) fresh grapefruit juice
1/4 oz. (7 ml) chile liqueur, such as Ancho Reyes Ancho Chile Liqueur- 1 oz. (30 ml) papaya puree
- 3/4 oz. (20 ml) fresh lime juice
- Chile salt for the glass
Directions
To make the avocado oil–washed tequila, in a glass or other nonreactive container, combine the avocado oil and tequila. Set aside at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours. Cover and transfer the container to the freezer for another 8 hours or overnight to allow the oil to solidify. Remove from the freezer, then remove the solidified oil and discard, skimming off any remaining solids. Place a double layer of cheesecloth over a clean bowl and pour the tequila through it to strain. Repeat, pouring the tequila through the cheesecloth once again.
To make the Don’s Mix, in a small dry fry pan over medium-low heat, toast the cinnamon sticks until fragrant (they may give off a little smoke), about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the honey and cinnamon sticks and cook, stirring to dissolve the honey completely, for about 5 .’minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Once the mixture has cooled, remove the cinnamon sticks and stir in an equal quantity of grapefruit juice. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
To assemble the drink, in a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes, combine 2 oz. (60 ml) of the avocado oil–washed tequila, 3/4 oz. (20 ml) of the Don’s Mix, the chile liqueur, papaya puree and lime juice. Shake until well chilled and pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a chilled coupe glass rimmed with chile salt. Makes 1 drink.
Reprinted from ©Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails by Shannon Mustipher, Rizzoli, 2019