Recipe: The Smokin’ Maid, for Cinco de Mayo

Here’s a little pre-planning help to make sure your Cinco de Mayo parties go off without a hitch.

Grab a bottle of Ilegal’s joven mezcal. This un-aged mezcal is among the best sold on the American market today, with incredible herbal, vegetal and citrus notes, with a terrific undercurrent of spice.

We got a Cinco de Mayo recipe from NYC’s famed barman, Jim Kearns. He heads up the list at Tijuana Picnic in the Lower East Side. Should you decide to forgo throwing a Cinco celebration and go out instead, you should look into a table there. From delicious food to craft cocktails featuring an array of agave spirits to a funky, fun atmosphere of a cantina blended with a speakeasy, Tijuana is one of the coolest bars in Manhattan.

The Smokin’ Maid

Courtesy of Tijuana Picnic in NYC and Bartender Jim Kearns

3/4 oz. Ilegal Mezcal

3/4 oz. Jalapeno-infused tequila

3/4 oz. Cucumber juice

1 oz. lime juice

1/2 oz. agave syrup

6 mint leaves

METHOD:

Add all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Rim a Rocks glass with salt and pepper and set aside. Shake hard and strain into ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with mint sprig and a cucumber.

Find out more about Ilegal mezcal here!

Order another bottle of their anejo that we sent out in your October “Smoke, Spice & Ice” edition here!

And, get your reservations for Tijuana Picnic right here.