Haz Ben
Happy Cinco de Mayo! I already posted a tasty (peach) margarita earlier this week, so here’s a very different side of agave: smokey, vegetal, stirred…corn? Come on, at least someone out there watched my Flavor Friday reel (4/1/22). Well, after a month, here comes the corny tequila. I received a bottle of Banhez mezcal (it’s delicious) and felt like corn could be a great compliment to its fruity/floral/vegetal notes. Spoiler alert: it is!
I split the mezcal base with a Mexican corn whiskey, which adds some depth and subtle corn notes, but it needed more of that fresh sweet corn taste. See the reel for details, but I infused blanco tequila with dehydrated corn and the result was fresh, sweet, and cornier than my Dad jokes [including the drink name. Can you be a has-been if you never were?]. This Old Fashioned riff needed sweetness, and after some trial and error I landed on coconut and chili liqueurs.
This is honestly one of my favorite creations in some time. It’s understated (i.e. the corn is there but not weird/too much) but complex. The coconut adds richness and highlights the sweetness of the corn but its flavor is more of a mild seasoning. Each sip begins (aroma) and ends (slight back of the throat spice) with a little chili. Only one homemade ingredient— consider giving it a go!
Recipe
1oz mezcal joven (@banhezmezcalartesanal, gifted)
0.5oz Abasolo (@abasolowhisky)
0.75 corn-infused blanco tequila
1tsp coconut liqueur
1tsp ancho reyes (@anchoreyes)
Small pinch salt
Stir all ingredients until chilled. Strain over a large block of clear ice in double OF rimmed with chili powder. Express and discard lemon peel. Garnish with unsweetened coconut. Cheers!!
