This cocktail is a twist on mixologist Abigail Gullo’s Mildred Pierce cocktail, which is equal parts mezcal, grapefruit liqueur, Aperol, and lemon juice. Substituting sotol for mezcal, the drink retains a slight smokiness and is imbued with a pronounced earthy quality.
Sotol is a Mexican spirit made from the Dasylirion plant, sotol, which is a member of the asparagus family. Its flavor profile is typically earthy, herbal, and grassy, with hints of smoke. I have made this cocktail using both Marfa Spirit Co.’s Chihuahuan Desert Sotol and Dry Point Distillers’ Desert Sotol, and enjoy them equally. The variety of plant and region where it is grown impact the spirit’s flavor, making each sotol distinctive. Chihuahuan Desert Sotol is distilled from Dasylirion leiophyllum and has notes of peppercorn and mint, for example. Dry Point’s sotol, distilled from Dasylirion wheeleri, has notes of smoky pine.
Mildred Rewritten
Ingredients
- 3/4 ounce sotol
- 3/4 ounce Aperol (or Aperix, or similar aperitif)
- 3/4 ounce grapefruit liqueur (I used Marfa Spirit’s Rio Grande Grapefruit Liqueur)
- 3/4 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled shaker. Shake well and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Stephanie Cameron was raised in Albuquerque and earned a degree in fine arts at the University of New Mexico. She is the art director, head photographer, recipe tester, marketing guru, publisher, and owner of edible New Mexico and The Bite.
