In a fortuitous twist of fate, shortly after Alex created his large sperical ice cubes our Del Maguey Mezcal Vida arrived. We have always been big fans of Del Maguey and their new "mixing mezcal" lived up to our expectations. It was nuanced and smoky with hints of nutmeg, allspice, and pine. So I broke out the fresh limes, juiced them, and added some lemon verbena sugar (granulated sugar ground with fresh verbena until the herb is finely pulverized), a few drops of Fee Brothers Rhubarb Bitters, a splash of water and a few slices of jalapeno from the weed patch. A few shakes later and I strained the mixture over Alex's ice spheres and we were enjoying a tasy cocktail as afternoon faded into evening.
The rhubarb bitters are pretty wonderful. We picked them up on Monday at Di Bruno's and I've been drinking them with soda all week long. Our jalapenos have been getting progressively hotter as the summer wears on. I wonder if the outside temperatures affect the spice level of the peppers. But in this case I just used the very end of a pepper so it added a comfortable heat as opposed to a serious burn with the bright floral notes that the jalapeno is known for. A few good ingredients is all you need to make something delicious whether it's a beverage or a dish. Thoguhtful preparation is what makes the diffeence.
