Saturday, September 1, 2018

olmec colossal grog

2 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
3/4 oz Guava Purée, Guava Nectar, or Melted Guava Jelly (Guava Jelly melted 1:1 with hot water) (*)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1/4 oz Allspice Dram (Hamilton's)

Shake with ice, strain into a Tiki mug, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with mint sprigs.
(*) Perhaps 1/2 oz of either the guava purée or melted guava jelly, or 1 oz of guava nectar might work well here.

Two Saturdays ago, I was inspired by Trader Vic's Old Yellowstain to riff on its structure. Since Old Yellowstain is essentially a Trader Vic Navy Grog with passion fruit added and different rums, I wondered if tequila would substitute in well in grog format like how Vic transformed his Mai Tai into the Pinky Gonzalez. And instead of passion fruit, I swapped the tropical fruit aspect to guava which is indigenous to Mexico; moreover, Vic occasionally called for guava jelly in his drinks such as the Cooper's Ranch Punch. For a name, I was inspired by the large stone heads of Mesoamerica called the Olmec colossal heads by archeologists; I remember having my photo taken in front of a reproduction of one at Yale University's Peabody Museum in my youth, and I still recall my awe and wonder at its size.
The Olmec Colossal Grog showcased a grand mint bouquet over guava and vegetal agave aromas. Next, pectin-smoothed grapefruit and lime on the sip slid into tequila, guava, and allspice on the swallow.

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