Created for a Texas friend of Jim Troutman’s, “who narrowly escaped being given the name Tex-Anne,” this recipe is, at heart, a mezcal Margarita amped up with spice from the Chartreuse and Tabasco and given nuttiness from the orgeat. Troutman describes this drink as “savory but refreshing,” ideal for “a long afternoon spent whiling away the hours in the hot Texas sun.”
Tex-Anne
Jim Troutman | Chicago
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 1 ounce Del Maguey Crema de Mezcal
- 1 ounce blanco tequila, preferably Siete Leguas
- 3/4 ounce lime juice
- 1/2 ounce orgeat (see Editor’s Note)
- 1/4 ounce yellow Chartreuse
- 5 drops Tabasco Green Jalapeño Sauce
- 1 dash grapefruit bitters
- simple syrup, to taste
Garnish: grapefruit peel
Directions
- Shake all ingredients with ice. If it’s too spicy, add a little simple syrup to smooth out the heat from the Tabasco.
- Strain into an Old-Fashioned glass over a large chunk of ice.
- Twist grapefruit peel over the drink to express the essential oils, then insert the peel in the glass upright, so it almost looks like a tongue sticking out of the glass.
Editor's Note
Orgeat
Yield: about 1 cup
33 grams almonds (about 1/4 cup)
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
orange flower water
Spread almonds over a rimmed baking sheet and roast at 400°F for 25 minutes, shaking the pan every 5 minutes or so to ensure the nuts don’t burn. Crush the roasted almonds by either tossing them in a shaker and muddling or bashing them with a sauté pan on a cutting board. Pour 1 cup water into a medium bowl, add 2 cups sugar and the almonds, and let the mixture sit overnight. Force-strain using a Superbag or a fine-mesh strainer. Measure the volume, then add 13 drops of orange flower water per cup of syrup.