Oaxaca (Mezcal) Old Fashioned

Of course! Lime, orange, and grapefruit could all work here. One thing to keep in mind, is balancing the citrus with the tequila you decide to use. Consider the below notes when you make your citrus syrup.

– Make orange syrup (zest of 1/2 an orange, all other ingredients are the same) if the tequila you’re using has a sweet flavor to it like vanilla, baking spices, or agave syrup.

– Make lime or grapefruit syrup (zest of 1 lime or 1/3 grapefruit, all other ingredients are the same) if the tequila has any citrus or vegetal notes like lime, bell peppers, or any type of florals.

– Lemon syrup can be used in either case, which is why I use it in this recipe.

I highly recommend going out a purchasing a molé/Mexican chocolate/Aztec chocolate bitters for this recipe.

However, there are other bitters options to substitute if you don’t have molé bitters. In order of best to okay substitutions: angostura bitters > any citrus bitters that match the syrup (lemon, orange, grapefruit etc.) > hibiscus bitters > tiki bitters.

Have fun. And, don’t be afraid to experiment.

Yep! Here are two syrup options to make that will be more and less complex than the syrup in this recipe:

– Oleo saccharum – is a more complexly flavored option that takes about 5min of active time and 24 hours of passive time (letting it sit) to make. Oleo is made with citrus peels and sugar. The sugar pulls the oil out of the peels leaving a viscous very fragrant and pungent syrup. This option doesn’t have lemon juice, so it won’t bring acidity to the cocktail, but will have a stronger lemon flavor none-the-less.

– Candied citrus Syrup – is an easy way to use everything after making candied citrus slices. It works well in this cocktail because it will be just as thick as the rich simple syrup in the above recipe, but it has a more subtle lemon flavor. Mostly because the citrus slices are boiled before candying them. The simple syrup left behind uses equal parts water and sugar. So, the freshness and tartness of lemon juice plus sugar isn’t as strong. However, having the peel and meat of the citrus in the syrup for an hour, does provide slightly more acidity than the oleo will add.

Don’t want to make syrup at all? Grab some agave; a pantry staple to keep on-hand for tequila and mezcal cocktails. Just substitute agave for the lemon syrup, easy as that.

You sure can. The cool thing about making cocktails without fresh juice in them, is that they are perfect for batching and leaving them pre-made in your freezer (i.e. freezer door cocktails). Batching is such a fast easy way to have interesting cocktails ready for your or a group event.

To batch 8 Oaxaca old fashioned cocktails at once, mix 1.5 cups (360ml) of mezcal, .5 cup (120ml) tequila, 3 tbsp (45ml) of syrup, and 1 tbsp (15ml) of molé bitters. Pour about 2oz of the mixture, per individual cocktail, over ice and make sure to mix and express a lemon peel for each cocktail as you make them.

If you plan to pour your pre-chilled old fashioneds straight from the refrigerator or freezer into a glass with a large ice cube, do the following… Add in .5 cup (120ml) of water to the mix before chilling. This acts as the stirring step, where you chill and dilute to balance the cocktail. Without the water, your cocktail will be very strong.

If you want to find your personal preference for dilution follow these steps:
1. pour the drink as written;
2. stir with ice until you are happy with the flavor;
3. pour the liquid back into a measuring cup;
4. subtract the original measurement from what is now in the glass,

That amount is your water “dilution” preference amount. Scale from there! Mine is about .5oz (15ml) per drink.

If you’re adding the cocktail to a beverage dispenser with ice, this step can be skipped. Just make sure to add the mixed cocktails and ice 15-30 minutes before serving. This way, there is time for dilution.