Verde Vida

Tequila Cocktails
Written By Povilas Mikuta

COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS:
- 4 Cucumber Wheels
- 45 ml Mezcal
- 7,5 ml Green Chartreuse
- 30 ml Fresh Lime Juice
- 30 ml Simple Syrup
- 60 ml Chilled Tonic Water


GARNISH:
- Blackberries
- Cucumber Ribbon

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Muddle the cucumber in a cocktail shaker.
• Add rest of the ingredients except tonic water.
• Add ice and shake until chilled.
• Double strain over fresh ice into a cocktail glass.
• Top with chilled tonic water.
• Garnish with some skewered blackberries and a cucumber ribbon.

 

Cocktail author: featured in the Mexico City Cocktails Book.

With winter storms still raging outside, what better way to lift your mood, than with a cocktail glass, filled to the brim with the spirit of Mexico. Verde Vida is a delightfully tasty drink, intended for summer heat, yet just as delicious in the middle of winter.

Base of the cocktail is mezcal with those signature smoky, vegetal agave notes very prominent throughout the drink. Some muddled cucumber, brings the cooling freshness to the mix, that pairs remarkably well and offsets the tartness of lime. A touch of green Chartreuse adds tone of complex herbaceousness without overpowering other more subtle flavours. Finally, addition of simple syrup balances out the cocktail, while the generous does of tonic water, lengthens the drink and also introduces a subtle quinine bitterness as well as effervescence, further enhancing the drinking experience.

All in all, Verde Vida is a complex and remarkably enjoyable drink, ready to cheer up every cocktail enthusiast. I highly recommend giving this a try now or earmark it for the warm of summer.

Povilas Mikuta
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