[pasion de oaxaca]

3/4 oz Milagro Blanco Tequila
3/4 oz Mezcal
3/4 oz Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Last night after my DJ set, Andrea and I went up the street to Eastern Standard for dinner and a drink. After acquiring a pair of seats at the bar, I asked bartender Hugh Fiore what he had been making off the menu recently that I might like. He immediately thought of a drink and said he could adapt the proportions more to my tastes. When he mentioned the combination of tequila, mezcal, and passion fruit juice, I gave him the thumbs up. While preparing the drink, Hugh straw tasted it and declared that he was much happier with this recipe than the previous one's. The nose of this cocktail led off with tequila and passion fruit aromas. Surprisingly, the drink did not taste overly of tequila as the passion fruit juice, simple syrup, and vermouth did a good job of smoothing over the flavor profile. Noteworthy was how the mezcal's smokiness and the passion fruit paired up delightfully well.