jayco

1 1/2 oz Tequila Ocho Reposado
3/4 oz Amer Picon
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Grenadine

Build on crushed ice in a tall glass and stir. Fill with more crushed and top with soda water. Garnish with mint sprigs and add a straw.

For my next beverage at Drink, bartender Will Thompson recommended that I switch to something crisp after the previous egg white drink. The recipe Will recommended was the Jayco which he found and adapted from the 1972 edition of Trader Vic. The Jayco is a tequila drink that uses the orange-flavored Amer Picon and lemon juice similar to the triple sec and lime in a Margarita. The Jayco is further lightened by the addition of soda water which reduces the darker and more bitter notes of the Amer Picon into something a bit more easy to drink. Tequila and Amer Picon are not often paired together, but the most memorable use was the stunning Jaguar created by Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli during his time at Eastern Standard.

The mint paid dividends in the aroma department. The sip was a semi-sweet citrus flavor, and the Amer Picon played a roll here adding richness and supplementing the lemon juice. The tequila notes on the swallow contributed a cleansing crispness to the Jayco that made it rather refreshing.