IN A HEARTBEAT
Red beet and blood orange puree with sotol, under a smoke bubble.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 oz Los Magos Sotol
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- .5 oz agave
- 1 oz red beet & blood orange puree
Beet in a cocktail sounds like a dare. It works because beet is sweet and earthy in roughly the same proportion as the spirit it's going into.
The smoke bubble on top is theatre, and it's also functional. You smell it before the glass reaches your mouth.
What you need
- 2 oz Los Magos Sotol Blanco
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- .5 oz agave
- 1 oz red beet and blood orange puree
- Orange zest, to garnish
How to make it
- Combine every ingredient in a shaker with ice.
- Shake for 12 seconds.
- Double strain into a chilled glass to catch the pulp.
- Finish with an aromatic smoke bubble and orange zest.
Beet and blood orange puree
Blend one small roasted beet with the juice of two blood oranges until smooth, then strain. Roast the beet rather than boiling it. Boiling washes the sugar out.
Why sotol works here
Earthy ingredients need an earthy spirit or they taste like a mistake. Vodka leaves beet tasting like soil and gin argues with it.
Our Blanco spends 36 to 48 hours in a wood-fired pit before fermentation, and that roasting is exactly what a roasted beet brings to the glass. The two share a register. Blood orange adds bitterness on top and lime keeps the sugar in check, and the smoke bubble finishes a line the pit already started.
Questions we get
No smoking gun?
Skip it. Or char a rosemary sprig and drop it in the glass for ten seconds before you pour.
Can I use pre-made beet juice?
Yes, though check for added sugar. Cut the agave to .25 oz if it's sweetened.
Make it with the bottle it was built for.
Los Magos Sotol Blanco, 750ml. Wild-harvested and triple distilled, with no additives.
