RECIPES

SUMMER IN A GLASS

I’ve heard the phrase Summer in a Glass before, but never really appreciated it until I tried this drink. While working on a novel set partially in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, I wanted the female protagonist to serve the drug lord she is trying to seduce a truly spectacular cocktail. I tried numerous old favorites as well as the recent creations of talented mixologists (what we now call bartenders). None of them had it all. Then I found an article on the excellent food site, Serious Eats, called This Savory Pineapple Cocktail is a Vacation in a Glass. The drink itself was called Sergeant Pepper. Gin was the principal liquor and it included lime juice and a syrup laced with cumin, all of which sounded interesting. I tried it, and it was very good.

Then I re-imagined the drink made with mezcal instead of gin. I also made several other important changes, including substituting amaretto for orgeat and chile pequín for black pepper. I first tried it using canned pineapple juice, and it was so delicious that I immediately broke out the juicer to see how much better it would be made with fresh pineapple juice. The result was so sublimely refreshing that the Summer in a Glass riff on the original title came immediately to mind. Because of the subject of my novel and the nature of the ingredients, I decided to call it a Sinaloa Sling. The only problem is that it is so delicious that you want to toss it down rather than sip it!

Notes: I made it first with a 100% agave but inexpensive mezcal called Chacmol, and later with a more refined and expensive one. Every taster felt that the less expensive, more assertive one was the best choice because it was a better match with the other bold ingredients.

If you do not have a juice extractor, coarsely chop some fresh pineapple, process it in a food processor and then press it through a hinged potato masher or a fine strainer.