MxMo LXXXIX, The Mamacita Cocktail: jalapeno, cilantro, lime, mezcal, tequila, syrup

It's Mixology Monday time again, that monthly cocktail party that asks creative types to get even more creative.This month is hosted by Chris at A Bar Above, and he asks us to come up with something unique, unknown, something that we haven't done before, something that challenges us and makes us get out of our comfort zones. Sounds like fun.

For this challenge, I wanted to return to one of the first original cocktails I ever tried making. Back then, I called it the Salsa Martini, and I haven't made one since. Because it wasn't any good. I even said that back then, too. In my post. Yes, I posted a drink that wasn't very good. Probably not the best decision I ever made. The drink itself was not the best decision, either.

There's one thing I really liked about my failed Salsa Martini, though, and that's the idea of cilantro in a drink. Here in Texas, cilantro is everywhere, and it's cheap. One day, there will be a cilantro liqueur, I'm sure, and it will sell like hotcakes here in Texas. I buy this stuff all the time. At least three bunches a week. But I haven't tried it in a cocktail since the Salsa Martini. Even though I have wanted to. So, in all fairness, it isn't quite unique. I did try it about three and a half years ago, and it didn't work. This time, I got it to work. I think a hiatus of nearly four years counts as unique for me.

Start with one or two slices of jalapenos. It depends on how hot your jalapenos are. Mine came from my own garden, and they are hot hot hot. I tried it with both one slice and two slices. Both were great, but the one slice was easier to drink.

And then put quite a bit of cilantro in your mixing glass with the jalapeno. Not an entire grocery store bunch, but about a third of that. Add a lime and a half, cut into eight pieces each. You want about 1 oz of lime, so put enough lime to get that much.

And muddle it. Don't be afraid to bruise anything here. Go to town.

Then add to the mixing glass:
The Mamacita Cocktail: jalapeno, cilantro, mezcal, tequila
and shake with lots of ice. Double strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with a cilantro sprig.

My wife says it's the best thing I ever made. When I asked her about a name, she asked what the Spanish word for "hot chick" is.

Thus, it's the Mamacita cocktail. After almost four years, I finally have my cilantro drink, the Mamacita. The cilantro and jalapeno take center stage here, with the smoky mezcal coming in close behind.

So thanks Chris for hosting this month's Mixology Monday with my cilantro entry, the Mamacita. And everyone be sure to check out Chris's awesome blog. It's more than a blog, really: it's an entire cocktail funland.