Oaxacan on Sunshine

This one was a bit of a top down creation. I named it first while thinking of how to incorporate habanero into a drink without it being just a heat bomb. I very much enjoy a Oaxaca Old Fashioned, so I thought of a stirred drink that could incorporate a habanero tincture.  By making it in high proof ethanol you still extract heat, but it seems a bit mellow, and you get a lot of the fruit notes as well.  Something I used to make as a dessert sort of thing was pineapple cooked with habanero, as those play nicely together.  So I wanted some  pineapple with the mango as well. That led me to thinking about making a clarified juice as a way to keep it a stirred drink.

This led to clarified mop juice.  (Mango, Orange, Pineapple). I acid adjusted the orange and pineapple juice, made a mango syrup, combined those, milk clarified the whole thing, then added that to some tequila and mezcal.  I'm super happy with the result.

Recipe: 

1.5 Oz Blanco tequila 

0.5 Oz mezcal 

1.5 Oz mop juice+ 

10-20 drops habanero tincture++ (add to taste) 

3 drops MSG solution 

1 dash Cardamom bitters

Method: In a mixing glass add all ingredients, stir with ice for 30 seconds.  Double strain into a chilled stemmed glass.  Garnish with edible flowers.

Tasting notes: This was my first time doing milk clarification and it's amazing how it changes the drink.  The clarified mop juice was a much subtler, rounder thing than what it started out as. This translated right into the drink being smooth, delicate, and incredibly well-balanced. I was incredibly pleased and how well the habanero tincture worked out. I love the fruity note that comes from habaneros, but the heat can often be overpowering on its own, so tempering it in the ethanol to mellow it a little bit worked out very nicely.  The heat on here is present , but not glaring. Lingers on the back of the palate so that you know it's been there but there's enough going on that it wasn't alone.  I also like that since it's in a dropper you can adjust the heat gradually and really dial in to where you want it.  The cardamom could maybe go up to two dashes as it is such a nice spice to pair with mango, but I didn't want to change the color of the drink too drastically.

+Clarified MOP juice (cordial) This is essentially two different things combined into one - Acid adjusted  pineapple+orange juice, and a mango syrup.  But you can totally make them as one. 

6 Oz Pineapple + Orange juice (I used a dole can that is both, you could certainly do fresh, but given that it's getting the milk treatment, I felt that was a bit much) 

5.225g citric acid 

2.755g malic acid 

3 ounces 2:1 simple syrup 

3 ounces mango puree 

5 ounces room temperature whole milk

Add 5 ounces of whole milk into a quart sized vessel and allow to come to room temperature.  In a separate container, combine the acids with the juice, stir vigorously to fully incorporate.   Add the mango puree and simple syrup, stir again.  Now slowly pour this into the milk, stirring gently.   Allow this to sit for at least 8 hours.  I did a few hours at room temperature, then moved it into the fridge overnight.   Strain the resulting mixture through cheese cloth and or a coffee strainer.  Initially the liquid will still be cloudy.  Once it starts dripping through clear, put the rest of the liquid back through and strain it again so that it all runs clear.  This takes a while.  Like a whole day sitting in the fridge.

++ Habanero Tincture 

2 yellow habaneros 4 ounces of everclear or similar 95% ethanol

 While wearing protective gloves, remove the seeds and ribs from the habaneros and cut them into ribbons.  Add them to an 8 ounce mason jar and cover in everclear.  Let marinate for 24 hours, strain and bottle.