SPEZIATOS
Muddled red bell pepper and basil syrup against Aperol. Savory, bitter and unusual.
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 oz Los Magos Sotol
- 1 oz Aperol
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- .5 oz basil infused simple syrup
- Muddle 3 slices red bell pepper
Aperol usually goes into a spritz and stops there. This puts it in a shaker with bell pepper and basil, and it comes out savory and bitter at the same time.
It's the strangest drink on the list and the one people ask for again.
What you need
- 1.5 oz Los Magos Sotol Blanco
- 1 oz Aperol
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- .5 oz basil infused simple syrup
- 3 slices red bell pepper
How to make it
- Muddle the bell pepper slices in a shaker.
- Add the sotol, Aperol, lemon juice and basil syrup, then fill with ice.
- Shake for 12 seconds.
- Double strain to catch the pepper solids.
- Garnish with a slice of red bell pepper and a rosemary sprig.
Basil syrup
Bring equal parts sugar and water to a simmer, take it off the heat and drop in a large handful of basil leaves. Leave 20 minutes, strain, refrigerate. Two weeks in the fridge.
Why sotol works here
Red bell pepper is sweet and green at once, and it needs a spirit that can meet both halves. Most clear spirits only handle one.
Our Blanco is roasted before it's fermented, so there's a cooked vegetal quality in it already that lines up with the pepper. The Aperol supplies bitterness on top, the lemon keeps it moving, and the basil bridges the herbal side of the spirit and the garnish. Rosemary on the nose finishes it before you taste anything.
Questions we get
Aperol or Campari?
Aperol is lighter and sweeter, which this needs. Campari overwhelms the pepper.
Can I use green bell pepper?
It'll be much sharper and more grassy. Red is riper and sweeter, and it balances better.
Make it with the bottle it was built for.
Los Magos Sotol Blanco, 750ml. Wild-harvested and triple distilled, with no additives.
