1 oz Mezcal (Mezcal Union)
3 wedge Lemon (3/8th Lemon)
1/2 oz Hot Pepper-infused Honey (Honey Syrup + 1 pinch Cayenne Powder)
1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters
Muddle the lemon wedges in the honey syrup. Add the rest of the ingredients, shake with ice, and strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with a mint sprig.
When I was researching the Tequila Gumption while writing up the Gumptions #2 Cocktail, Kindred Cocktails pointed out the Hot & Heavy as a related drink. Both are New York City recipes pairing equal parts reposado tequila and mezcal, but they each take a different path. The Hot & Heavy ventured away from a straight spirits drink into a muddled lemon balanced by spicy honey direction, and it was attributed to Pouring Ribbons in 2013 by NYC bartender Rafa Garcia Febles on KindredCocktails when I made this drink, and later specifically to bartender Jade Brown-Godfrey via Epicurious. Overall, the combination reminded me of the Juschu Cocktail, Red Grasshopper, and Oaxacanite, so with an on-the-fly spicy honey syrup, I was game to give this one a go.

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2 comments:
Was just looking at this recipe on Epicurious. An article written by Al Sotack (https://www.epicurious.com/recipes-menus/hidden-gem-cocktails) says he married the creator of this cocktail: Jade Brown-Godfrey.
Don't know which attribution is correct, but here you go
Thanks. I added in that attribution (although I kept the Troy Sidle one) -- each with the website name. I trust Al's version since the other one is an user-submitted entry on Kindred Cocktails.
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