the maldenado

1 oz Milagro Blanco Tequila
1/2 oz Agave Nectar
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Tabasco Sauce
1 bottle of Negro Modelo Beer

Shake tequila, agave nectar, lime juice, and Tabasco with ice. Pour into a stemmed water glass and top off with 4-5 oz beer. Garnish with a lime wedge and serve with remaining beer in bottle.

Last night I had plans with Adam from The Boston Shaker to meet up at Eastern Standard. The plans were on until we realized that it was opening day at Fenway and thus Eastern Standard would be a mobhouse. We switched locales for the plans, until yesterday during the day when we realized the game was postponed due to rain.

I got to the bar first and secured seats in front of Hugh Fiore. Hugh immediately said that he had an idea and ran off to make me a drink. He returned and presented me with the Maldenado and proclaimed "Welcome to Summer!" which was amusingly ironic since it was 42°F and rainy out. However, the drink was part of the new-as-of-yesterday's menu for opening day at Fenway so in a way it is meant to be a harbinger of the warmer months. The Maldenado, named after one of Eastern Standard's bar backs, is part of the return of the beer-based cocktail section along with a Horseneck Shanty, Red Beer, Bitter & Brew, and the Eastern Standard Boiler Maker. Last year I partook of the Ameri-beer (Amer Picon + Czech Pilsner in a 1:4 ratio) which unfortunately expedited the drying up of their precious Amer Picon stash.
The citrus definitely stood out in the drink along with the heat from the Tabasco. The tequila seemed to serve two purposes: one was to intensify the hot pepper sauce flavors, and two was to work in conjunction with the beer's hops to add a distinctive sharp note to the drink. Even as the ice melted, the capsaicin level was still high enough to keep my attention and keep the drink interesting. The remaining beer at the end served as a good palate cleanser to prepare me for my next drink; otherwise, it would have been tough to figure out where to go from here.