bebida de puebla

2 oz Espolón Tequila Reposado
1/2 oz Lustau Dry Amontillado Sherry
1/4 oz Benedictine
1/4 oz Coffee Liqueur (Ristretto)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe glass; garnish with a lemon twist.

I recently received an email containing a few cocktail recipes from an Espolón Tequila rep for Cinco de Mayo. Unlike many similar promotional emails, Espolón's often contain some rather good recipes created by respected bartenders. Last time I was sent recipes from them, it was for Day of the Dead back in October. After making the Ashes to Ashes with the tequila I had on hand, the rep sent me a bottle of their reposado and blanco which I used to make the Fresca Catrina. This time, the recipe that stood out was created by Eric Alperin of Varnish in Los Angeles. The theme for these bartenders was to craft drinks to complement cuisine from taco food trucks, and Eric picked the Korean-style BBQ taco trend in L.A. Part of the appeal was the combination of coffee liqueur and fortified wine in Eric's drink which reminded me a little of the Coffee Brown that I had last month.
The Bebida de Puebla's nose provided both a high and a low note from the lemon oil and coffee aromas, respectively. Moreover, the dark roasted coffee notes from the Ristretto continued on throughout the sip and the swallow. In addition, the swallow also contained the tequila flavor followed by the spice of the Benedictine and the nuttiness of the sherry. While the Bebida de Puebla was a rather richly flavored drink, no single element was too overwhelming in the balance.