menehune gonzalez

1 oz Blanco Tequila (Espolon)
1 oz Rhum Agricole (Depaz)
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 Egg White (1 Egg White)

Shake once without and once with ice, and strain into an ice-filled Old Fashioned glass (coupe, no ice). Garnish with 3-4 drops of hibiscus tincture (Bittermens Burlesque Bitters).

Two Saturdays ago, I was mentally preparing myself for Tales of the Cocktail, so I reached for the 2009 Tales' Stir Your Soul recipe book for inspiration. There, I spotted a drink created by Martin Cate that he presented at a spirited dinner at G.W. Fins with Beachbum Berry in 2009 a few months before Smuggler's Cove opened. With tequila in the split spirits base, I wondered if the Gonzalez part was a nod to Trader Vic's Pinky Gonzalez agave Mai Tai riff; indeed, the lime and orgeat supported that idea. Trader Vic's books also offer a bunch of recipes referring to the Menehune including the Menehune Juice which is essentially another Mai Tai riff using light Puerto Rican Rum. Here, Green Chartreuse and egg white take the Mai Tai concept in a different direction.
The Menehune Gonzalez gave forth mostly agave aromas with grassy and herbal undertones. Next, a creamy lime sip led into grassy, tequila, earthy, and herbal flavors on the swallow.