joven margarita
dulcet
Viva spritz
6 or 7 dried avocado leaves
2 quarts of water
1 1/2 quarts of agave néctar
Add avocado leaves and water to a medium pot, and bring to a boil. Lower the flame and add agave nectar. Steep for about 5 minutes. Cool the syrup down, label, and store it.
Avocado Leaf Syrup
By Rayna Rossitto
ADVERTISER CONTENT FROM
Joven
Tequila
A Coming-of-Age for
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of innovation, bridging old-school tequila production with contemporary methods. This period of tinkering resulted in joven tequila, an expression that blends batches of unaged, blanco tequila with aged, reposado tequila.
“Tequila has been made in Mexico for hundreds of years, and [every] so often we get to experience tequila in a new way,” says Julio Xoxocotla, a bartender based in New York City. Alma Miel, Tequila Don Julio’s latest release, sets out to do what many bartenders and tequila enthusiasts have been in search of: a flavor-packed joven tequila made for today.
Alma Miel deviates from a typical bottle of joven tequila due to its blending process. Here, the young blanco blends with a special type of añejo that has been aged for at least 14 months in Crémant du Limoux barrels, creating a smooth liquid that’s complex and full of roasted agave flavor. “In other words, Alma Miel is an homage to agave and tequila,” Xoxocotla says.
Though a joven tequila like this is best enjoyed neat or on the rocks, Xoxocotla developed three cocktails that honor the integrity of Alma Miel. He uses each recipe as an opportunity to play off the tasting profile of the product, whether it’s citrus fruit, roasted agave, or crémant wine. “Alma Miel beautifully blends innovation and tradition, delivering a luxurious product with beautiful agave notes and a delicate stone fruits finish,” Xoxocotla says. “In many ways, it’s what a lot of tequila lovers look for in every bottle.”
Viva Spritz
INGREDIENTS
Serving: 1
1 1/2 ounces Tequila Don Julio Alma Miel
1/2 ounce grapefruit cordial
3 dashes gentian-based bitters
crémant, to top
Garnish: grapefruit twist (discarded),
grapefruit coin
DIRECTIONS
1. Add Tequila Don Julio Alma Miel, cordial,
and bitters to a mixing glass.
2. Add ice, and stir to chill, about 30 seconds.
3. Pour into a chilled, large coupe and top
with crémant.
4. Express a grapefruit twist over the drink,
then discard the peel. Garnish with a
round grapefruit coin.
INGREDIENTS
Serving: 1
2 ounces Tequila Don Julio Alma Miel
1 ounces Italian aperitivo or French aperitif
3 dashes grapefruit bitters
Garnish: grapefruit wedge
DIRECTIONS
1. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing
glass.
2. Add ice, and stir to chill, about 20 seconds.
3. Strain into a rocks glass with a large ice
cube.
4. Garnish with grapefruit wedge.
Tequila Don Julio developed a special type of añejo for Alma Miel, one that’s aged in oak barrels that were previously used to make Crémant du Limoux wine. The crémant helps to impart a fruity finish, which creates a distinctive profile that departs from a traditional añejo. For this recipe, Xoxocotla underscores the flavors from the barrelling process by topping the spritz with a splash of crémant. He maintains the lightness of the tequila using grapefruit cordial, then adds depth of flavor with a few dashes of bitters. Thanks to its vibrant and bubbly nature, Xoxocotla recommends serving the Viva Spritz as a welcome cocktail or with starter foods, such as guacamole and crudité.
Dulcet
INGREDIENTS
Serving: 1
2 ounces Tequila Don Julio Alma Miel
3/4 ounce lime juice
3/4 ounce avocado leaf syrup (see Editor's
Note)
1/4 ounce orange liqueur
Garnish: salt, chili oil (see Editor's Note)
DIRECTIONS
1. Combine the first four ingredients in a
shaker tin.
2. Add ice, and shake to chill, about 20
seconds.
3. Strain into a chilled large coupe glass.
4. Garnish with three drops of chili oil.
Dulcet, a Spanish word that translates to “a sweet and soothing sound,” is a feeling that Xoxocotla tries to evoke through this cocktail. He uses grapefruit as a foil to the sweet, tropical notes in Alma Miel. While the Dulcet seems relatively straightforward in its formula, its flavor profile is complex, layered with delicate aperitivos (or aperitifs) and bitters. It’s ripe, light, and fruit-forward, highlighting to the tropical aromas present in the tequila, with a pleasant and smooth finish in every sip.
3 tablespoons Sichuan chili flakes, or substitute with red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
Chili Oil
Combine all the ingredients in a small pot over low heat, and let them infuse for an hour. Strain the mixture, then bottle it in a small vial with an eyedropper.
TK Credit by Name; TK Credit by Name; TK Credit by Name; TK Credit by Name; TK Credit
by Name; TK Credit by Name; TK Credit by
Name; TK Credit by Name; TK Credit by Name; TK Credit by Name; TK Credit by Name
Photographer: Robert Bredvad; Associate Art Director: Clara Shader-Seave; Prop Stylist: Marina Bevilacqua; Cocktail Stylist: Thu Buser; Producer: Hannah Lee
Production Credits
Viva Spritz
Tequila Don Julio developed a special type of añejo for Alma Miel, one that’s aged in oak barrels that were previously used to make Crémant du Limoux wine. The crémant helps to impart a fruity finish, which creates a distinctive profile that departs from a traditional añejo. For this recipe, Xoxocotla underscores the flavors from the barrelling process by topping the spritz with a splash of crémant. He maintains the lightness of the tequila using grapefruit cordial, then adds depth of flavor with a few dashes of bitters. Thanks to its vibrant and bubbly nature, Xoxocotla recommends serving the Viva Spritz as a welcome cocktail or with starter foods, such as guacamole and crudité.
INGREDIENTS
Serving: 1
1 1/2 ounces Tequila Don Julio Alma Miel
1/2 ounce grapefruit cordial
3 dashes gentian-based bitters
crémant, to top
Garnish: grapefruit twist (discarded), grapefruit coin
DIRECTIONS
1. Add Tequila Don Julio Alma Miel, cordial, and bitters to a mixing glass.
2. Add ice, and stir to chill, about 30 seconds.
3. Pour into a chilled, large coupe and top with crémant.
4. Express a grapefruit twist over the drink, then discard the peel. Garnish with a
round grapefruit coin.
Dulcet
Dulcet, a Spanish word that translates to “a sweet and soothing sound,” is a feeling that Xoxocotla tries to evoke through this cocktail. He uses grapefruit as a foil to the sweet, tropical notes in Alma Miel. While the Dulcet seems relatively straightforward in its formula, its flavor profile is complex, layered with delicate aperitivos (or aperitifs) and bitters. It’s ripe, light, and fruit-forward, highlighting to the tropical aromas present in the tequila, with a pleasant and smooth finish in every sip.
INGREDIENTS
Serving: 1
2 ounces Tequila Don Julio Alma Miel
1 ounces Italian aperitivo or French aperitif
3 dashes grapefruit bitters
Garnish: grapefruit wedge
DIRECTIONS
1. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass.
2. Add ice, and stir to chill, about 20 seconds.
3. Strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube.
4. Garnish with grapefruit wedge.
Joven Margarita
This margarita plays up the herbaceous flavor of the tequila: with the addition of avocado leaves and agave nectar. The agave also acts as a sweetener, which is balanced out by the brightness of fresh lime juice. Xoxocotla amplifies the intrigue of this drink using three drops of chili oil, tying everything together with a numbing, umami heat. The crisp and herbaceous nature of the Joven Margarita can stand up to hefty meats and spice-forward dishes.
INGREDIENTS
Serving: 1
2 ounces Tequila Don Julio Alma Miel
3/4 ounce lime juice
3/4 ounce avocado leaf syrup (see Editor's Note)
1/4 ounce orange liqueur
Garnish: salt, chili oil (see Editor's Note)
DIRECTIONS
1. Combine the first four ingredients in a shaker tin.
2. Add ice, and shake to chill, about 20 seconds.
3. Strain into a chilled large coupe glass.
4. Garnish with three drops of chili oil.
6 or 7 dried avocado leaves
2 quarts of water
1 1/2 quarts of agave néctar
Add avocado leaves and water to a medium pot, and bring to a boil. Lower the flame and add agave nectar. Steep for about 5 minutes. Cool the syrup down, label, and store it.
Avocado Leaf Syrup
3 tablespoons Sichuan chili flakes, or substitute with red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
Combine all the ingredients in a small pot over low heat, and let them infuse for an hour. Strain the mixture, then bottle it in a small vial with an eyedropper.
Chili Oil
joven margarita
dulcet
Viva spritz
with contemporary methods. This period of tinkering resulted in joven tequila, an expression that blends batches of unaged, blanco tequila with aged, reposado tequila.
“Tequila has been made in Mexico for hundreds of years, and [every] so often we get to experience tequila in a new way,” says Julio Xoxocotla, a bartender based in New York City. Alma Miel, Tequila Don Julio’s latest release, sets out to do what many bartenders and tequila enthusiasts have been in search of: a flavor-packed joven tequila made for today.
Alma Miel deviates from a typical bottle of joven tequila due to its blending process. Here, the young blanco distilled with oven-roasted agave blends with a special type of añejo that has been aged for at least 14 months in Crémant du Limoux barrels, creating a smooth liquid that’s complex and full of roasted agave flavor. “In other words, Alma Miel is an homage to agave and tequila,” Xoxocotla says.
Though a joven tequila like this is best enjoyed neat or on the rocks, Xoxocotla developed three cocktails that honor the integrity of Alma Miel. He uses each recipe as an opportunity to play off the tasting profile of the product, whether it’s citrus fruit, roasted agave, or crémant wine. “Alma Miel beautifully blends innovation and tradition, delivering a luxurious product with beautiful agave notes and a delicate stone fruits finish,” Xoxocotla says. “In many ways, it’s what a lot of tequila lovers look for in every bottle.”
ince the mid-20th century, the agave spirits boom has opened up paths of innovation, bridging old-school tequila production
S
By Rayna Rossitto
Joven Tequila
A Coming-of-Age for
ADVERTISER CONTENT FROM
Joven Margarita
Three modern-day cocktails that put Tequila Don Julio Alma Miel front and center.
Three modern-day cocktails that put Tequila
Don Julio Alma Miel front and center.
of innovation, bridging old-school tequila production with contemporary methods. This period of tinkering resulted in joven tequila, an expression that blends batches of unaged, blanco tequila with aged, reposado tequila.
“Tequila has been made in Mexico for hundreds of years, and [every] so often we get to experience tequila in a new way,” says Julio Xoxocotla, a bartender based in New York City. Alma Miel, Tequila Don Julio’s latest release, sets out to do what many bartenders and tequila enthusiasts have been in search of: a flavor-packed joven tequila made for today.
Alma Miel deviates from a typical bottle
of joven tequila due to its blending process. Here, the young blanco distilled with oven-roasted agave blends with a special type
of añejo that has been aged for at least 14 months in Crémant du Limoux barrels, creating a smooth liquid that’s complex and full of roasted agave flavor. “In other words, Alma Miel is an homage to agave and tequila,” Xoxocotla says.
Though a joven tequila like this is best enjoyed neat or on the rocks, Xoxocotla developed three cocktails that honor the integrity of Alma Miel. He uses each recipe
as an opportunity to play off the tasting profile of the product, whether it’s citrus fruit, roasted agave, or crémant wine. “Alma Miel beautifully blends innovation and tradition, delivering a luxurious product with beautiful agave notes and a delicate stone fruits finish,” Xoxocotla says. “In many ways, it’s what a lot of tequila lovers look for in every bottle.”
ince the mid-20th century, the agave spirits boom has opened up paths
S
INGREDIENTS
Serving: 1
1 1/2 ounces Tequila Don Julio Alma Miel
1/2 ounce grapefruit cordial
3 dashes gentian-based bitters
crémant, to top
Garnish: grapefruit twist (discarded),
grapefruit coin
DIRECTIONS
1. Add Tequila Don Julio Alma Miel, cordial,
and bitters to a mixing glass.
2. Add ice, and stir to chill, about 30 seconds.
3. Pour into a chilled, large coupe and top
with crémant.
4. Express a grapefruit twist over the drink,
then discard the peel. Garnish with a
round grapefruit coin.
Tequila Don Julio developed a special type
of añejo for Alma Miel, one that’s aged in oak barrels that were previously used to make Crémant du Limoux wine. The crémant helps to impart a fruity finish, which creates
a distinctive profile that departs from a traditional añejo. For this recipe, Xoxocotla underscores the flavors from the barrelling process by topping the spritz with a splash
of crémant. He maintains the lightness of the tequila using grapefruit cordial, then adds depth of flavor with a few dashes of bitters. Thanks to its vibrant and bubbly nature, Xoxocotla recommends serving the Viva Spritz as a welcome cocktail or with starter foods, such as guacamole and crudité.
Viva Spritz
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