silver surfer

2 oz Blanco Tequila (Cimarron)
1/2 oz Orgeat
1/2 oz Kümmel (Helbing) (*)
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass, fill with crushed ice, and garnish with mint sprigs.
(*) For a potent kümmel like Combier, cut this to 1/4 oz (can add a 1/4 oz simple if desired as well).

On the walk home from my bar shift Saturday night, I began scheming my evening's nightcap. I honed in on the agave-kümmel pairing that I first appreciated in late 2012/early 2013 by way of Tommy Klus' Mission Bell and Misty Kalkofen's Island of Misfit Toys shortly after Combier's kümmel liqueur came out. Perhaps the concept started with a Mai Tai riff subbing in kümmel for the curaçao akin to the cinnamon syrup substitution in the Cuban Anole, and then it drifted to subbing it into Trader Vic's tequila Mai Tai, the Pinky Gonzalez. As prepared above, I was quite pleased at how the drink balanced out with Helbing Kümmel; however, when I made it for a guest 18 hours later at River Bar using Combier's kümmel, the kümmel was a bit more overpowering (I ended up increasing the lime and orgeat each by a 1/4 oz to compensate). The guest who received it commented that it was the best drink she had tried this year, so perhaps this combination is a winner.
Since part of my thinking was that this was a Silver Bullet crossed with a Pinky Gonzalez, I dubbed this one the Silver Surfer. I know that there are other Silver Surfers drink recipes out there, but none that are at home at a Tiki or craft cocktail bar. Once prepared, it shared mint notes over vegetal, caraway, and cumin aromas. Next, a creamy lime sip transitioned into vegetal agave, earthy nuttiness, and caraway-cumin spice. Overall, the match of the flavors were supported mentally by how tequila, almond, and cumin all factor into Mexican culture and cuisine.