50 shades of maguey

1 1/2 oz Mezcal (Montelobos)
3/4 oz Triple Sec (Cointreau)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup (BG Reynolds)
1/4 oz Campari

Shake with ice and strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Garnish with a lime wheel and add a straw.

For Valentine's Day two weeks ago, I decided to make a mezcal drink that Jackie Patterson Brenner reposted on Instagram via Nuestra Soledad Mezcal called 50 Shades of Maguey. I was torn on whether to love or to groan at the name, but the thought of a mezcal Margarita supplemented by the great flavor combination of passion fruit and Campari set me in the shaker tin direction.
The 50 Shades of Maguey began with a lime and smoke aroma with hints of citrus and passion fruit on the nose. The lime and passion fruit came out strongest on the sip though, and the swallow offered the smoky mezcal followed by a bitter orange and Campari finish. Indeed, the drink did come across like a mezcal Margarita with more fruit notes and a more complex bitter finish.