Oaxaca (Mezcal) Old Fashioned
As a fan of mezcal, the simplicity of a Oaxaca old fashioned cocktail is absolute perfection, IMO. It’s such a great way to showcase mezcal’s smokiness and charred flavor, instead of hiding it behind fruit juices and carbonated beverages. This Oaxaca old fashioned recipe uses a lemon, rich-simple syrup and molé bitters with a balancing mix of both mezcal and extra añejo tequila, for a subtle, complex sipping experience.
Get the Recipe: Oaxaca (Mezcal) Old Fashioned
Ingredients
Lemon, Rich Simple Syrup
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (1 lemon)
Oaxaca Old Fashioned
- 1 teaspoon lemon, rich simple syrup (see notes for substitutes)
- 3-4 dashes molé or mexican chocolate bitters
- 1½ oz Del Maguey Vida De Muertos mezcal
- ½ oz G4 Extra Añejo tequila
- 1 lemon peel, roughly 1x2in (2.54×5.08cm) in size
Equipment
- 1 Microplane zester or fine grater
- kitchen scale or measuring cups
- 1 Small Sauce Pot
- 1 knife
- 1 cutting board
- 1 citrus reamer or press
- 1 Fine Mesh Strainer
- Measuring spoons
- 1 bar spoon or knife
- 1 large ice cube
- 1 y-peeler
Instructions
Lemon Rich Simple Syrup:
- Pour the sugar into a sauce pot then wash and dry your lemon. Zest your lemon over the sugar making sure to get as much of it as possible into the pot. Next, use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar and get the oils incorporated.
- Juice the lemon. Then add the juice to the sauce pot with the lemon-sugar and turn on the heat. Stir until the sugar has just dissolved and you have a syrup. Pour the syrup through a fine mesh strainer (to remove the zest) and into a new container to cool.
Oaxaca Old Fashioned:
- First, measure and pour the lemon rich simple syrup, into a large mixing glass and add 3-4 dashes of molé (mexican chocolate) bitters. Stir with a small whisk or spoon until well mixed.
- Add in the mezcal and tequila along with some full ice cubes and stir for 30 seconds.
- In a separate glass, add a single, extra-large ice cube (if you have them) or new ice and pour in the chilled cocktail.
- Using a peeler, preferably a Y-peeler for ease of use, shave off a piece of lemon rind and express it over the drink, skin side down. Rub the outside of the peel against the rim of the glass and serve.
Notes
- If you don’t want to make syrup at all, use agave.
- If you want a darker syrup with caramel notes for the cocktail, turn up the heat and let the citrus syrup cook down to your desired color and flavor.
- Because there is no mixer in this cocktail, I would suggest using tequilas and mezcals that you are content drinking neat for the best results.
- I still recommend expressing a lemon peel over this cocktail, regardless of the garnish or syrup you use.
- Garnish with a citrus slice (candied, fresh, or dried) or your expressed citrus peel.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
