Viva Villa
This drink appears in the 1938 book New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em. I chose it to kick off Margarita Month as an example of an early tequila sour. We had this on a classics menu at Gigantic, where Ned King and Kris Kirkland tweaked the spec to create this fantastic, slightly smoky riff on the original. It’s fun to do a tropical presentation with this drink (crushed ice, mint garnish, bitters dashed atop), as it’s akin to an agave-spirit Daiquiri.
INGREDIENTS
1½ oz.* tequila
½ oz. Mezcal (optional, see *note below)
¾ oz. lime juice
½ oz. rich simple syrup
Garnish: Angostura bitters float, mint bouquet
*or 2 oz., if omitting Mezcal
ABV LEVEL
Combine all in a shaker. Fill two-thirds full with ice, seal, and shake hard for 5-7 seconds. Strain into a Collins glass and fill with pebble or crushed ice. Top with Angostura bitters, garnish with a slapped mint bouquet, and serve with a straw.