Picnic in the South
Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into chilled coupe. Garnish with fresh hot pepper slices.
The hot sauce is a necessary finishing touch that only occurred to me after tasting the first iteration. Use something flavorful with a hint of sweetness, rather than just a Scoville bomb.
To get watermelon juice: For just one or two drinks, scoop or spoon out chunks of watermelon into a citrus press, such as a handheld lever type, and press firmly over your jigger or a glass. You should get about as much juice per squeeze as you would from half a lime. For a larger batch of juice, blend the watermelon, and strain through a fine sieve.
I pretty much just threw this together out of pure curiosity, and the desire to dig into the watermelon half sitting in my fridge. The flavors evoke memories of southern barbecues - smokey grills, juicy melon and a little kick of heat. Plastic red and white gingham draped picnic table optional.
- Smoky Jose — Tequila, Mezcal, Herbal liqueur, Aperol, Lime juice, Salt
- Is That All There Is? — Mezcal, Rhum Agricole, Suze, Aperol, Peychaud's Bitters, Lime juice, Grapefruit peel
- Smoke Gets in Your Agav-eyes — Tequila, Mezcal, Falernum, Orange bitters, Herbal liqueur, Lime juice, Agave syrup, Orange peel
- Illegal — Mezcal, Jamaican rum, Falernum, Maraschino Liqueur, Lime juice, Simple syrup, Egg white
- Tainted Love (Frederic Yarm) — Mezcal, Swedish Punsch, Apricot liqueur, Lime juice, Orange peel
Curated this: Rewrote instruction to avoid copyright, added citation, brought this in line with the SC recipe. Thanks, Zachary