Shake it Up | Summer Drinks (Part III)

With fall officially upon us, it's time to wrap our our Summer edition of "Shake it Up". Tyler and I taste-tested our way through two more drinks courtesy of the book "Shake: A New Perspective on Cocktails". Feel free to check out Part I and Part II if you want to get up to speed. For Part III, a little Rose and some tequila rounded out our summer fling. We ditched the last two drinks since we completely ran out of time and decided we would rather jump to fall. I mean, how can you turn down a drink with bourbon and apple cider?? Let's take a look at the last of our summer drinks...

The Frenchie

The Frenchie combined Rose wine, Contreau and fresh summer berries. How bad could it be? Well I have to say this one left a lot to be desired. I had really high expectations as berries are at the top of my favorite food list, but this drink was rather blah. In the drinks' defense, it very well could have been due to the particular Rose we tried. The book recommended a Syrah Rose and I happened to spot a bottle at Trader Joe's. Maybe another variety would be better?

The Spicy Mezcalita

Not all jalapeno's are created equal. SERIOUSLY. This guy? Well he was an overachiever. SO. HOT. I actually like spicy food, but this one left my lips numb. So just a word to the wise, taste-test your pepper before diving into this drink. You'll thank me later. As for the drink itself, it was... spicy. Haha. Once we removed every seed in sight and let the ice cubes melt a bit, I actually kind of liked it. Perfect for a taco bar!

This was our first drink that incorporated Mezcal. Mezcal, like its cousin tequila, is made from agave, which, contrary to popular belief, is not a cactus but is actually part of the asparagales botanical order, making it a relative of the yucca plant and Joshua tree. While tequila can only be made in the Tequila region and from just blue Weber agave, mezcal is usually produced in Oaxaca (it can legally come from anywhere in Mexico) and can be made from many types of agave, some of which only grow wild. Historically, producers used whatever agave they found locally. The taste is much more smokey than that of your average tequila - giving the drink some serious flavor.

And that's a wrap for our summer drinks! I've come to the conclusion that I prefer light and refreshing drinks for the summer - especially those with a little beer or prosecco mixed in. As for fall, I'm looking forward to something a bit darker and more flavorful. I'll keep you posted!