Oaxaca Old Fashioned Recipe

Before you start

This drink is usually credited to Phil Ward at Death & Co in New York, around 2007. It takes the old fashioned template of spirit, sugar and bitters and swaps the whiskey for a split base: reposado tequila for vanilla and cooked agave, and a smaller measure of mezcal for smoke. Agave nectar replaces the sugar cube so the sweetener echoes the spirits.

The ratio is the main decision. Three parts tequila to one part mezcal keeps the smoke as an accent; go much heavier and it flattens everything else. Agave nectar is sweeter than simple syrup, so a single barspoon is plenty. The classic finish is a flamed orange peel, which adds a toasted citrus note that suits the smoke.

Ingredients

• 45 ml (1½ oz) reposado tequila — 100% agave
• 15 ml (½ oz) mezcal — an espadín is a good, moderately smoky choice
• 1 barspoon (5 ml) agave nectar
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 cup (about 150 g) ice cubes — for stirring
• 1 large ice cube — for serving
• 1 coin-sized piece orange peel — cut thick, with a little pith

Method

1. Put the rocks glass in the freezer for a few minutes, then set one large clear cube in it.
2. Add the agave nectar and bitters to the mixing glass first, then the tequila and mezcal. Stir briefly without ice so the thick nectar dissolves into the spirits.
3. Fill the mixing glass three-quarters with ice and stir for about 20 seconds, until the glass is frosty and the liquid has gained roughly a fifth in volume.
4. Strain over the large cube in the rocks glass.
5. To flame the peel, light a match and hold it 5 cm (2 in) above the drink. Hold the peel skin-side toward the flame and squeeze sharply; the oils should spark briefly as they pass through the flame onto the drink.
6. Rub the peel around the rim, then drop it in. Serve right away.

Tips for success

• Warm the orange peel for a second near the flame before squeezing. Slightly warm peel releases its oils more readily.
• Keep the flame and the bottles well apart. Spirits are flammable, so cap the bottles before you strike a match.
• Taste the drink before straining. If the smoke dominates, add another 5 ml of tequila to the mixing glass and stir 5 seconds more.

Substitutions

Reposado tequila

Blanco tequila makes a brighter, more peppery drink. Añejo adds oak and makes it closer to a whiskey old fashioned.

Agave nectar

Use 7 ml of 1:1 simple syrup or 5 ml of rich demerara syrup. Demerara adds a molasses note that works with the bitters.

Angostura bitters

Mole bitters push the drink toward cocoa and chile; orange bitters make it lighter and more citrusy.

Variations

Batched bottle

Multiply by eight, add 100 ml water for dilution and keep it in a sealed bottle in the freezer. Pour over a large cube and add the peel.

Troubleshooting

The drink tastes like an ashtray

Your mezcal is very smoky. Cut it to 7 ml and make up the volume with tequila, or choose a gentler espadín.

The peel never sparks

The peel is too thin or dry. Cut a fresh, thick coin from a firm orange and squeeze it sharply, not slowly.

It tastes hot and boozy

It is under-diluted. Stir longer with cold, dry ice until the mixing glass is frosted all over.

Storage

Serve immediately after stirring. Agave nectar is shelf-stable before opening; once opened, keep it tightly closed and use it within the time on the label. Batched, pre-diluted bottles of this drink keep for weeks in the freezer because they contain no juice.

Safety notes

Contains 60 ml of 40% ABV spirits, about 1.4 U.S. standard drinks (one standard drink is about 14 g of pure alcohol). Serve only to adults of legal drinking age, and never drink and drive. Flame orange peels away from hair, sleeves and open bottles.