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The Drink: The Celery and Smoke

July 1, 2013 By Official Bartender Michael Bowers | Heads up: Buying via our links may result in us getting a commission. Also, we take your privacy rights seriously. Head here to learn more.

There aren’t many papayas in Boise. Or lychees. Or guavas, rambutans, dragonfruit, or guanabanas (whatever that is). As a consequence, at the bar we don’t do much along the lines of the tropical drinks that people associate with laid-back summer sipping. Its not that tropical drinks are bad. They’re only bad when badly made (which, I admit, is most of the time). It’s that it just doesn’t feel right to make a drink with passionfruit when you’re 700 miles from the closest beach with a palm tree.

A lot of the appeal of tropical fruits in drinks is that the flavors are exotic. The best of the genre are both refreshing and unfamiliar, delicious but hard to describe. It’s an effect that compels another sip as much because the drink is interesting as because it tastes good. But exotic ingredients are not required to achieve the effect. The familiar in an unusual context can be just as exotic as anything.

Case and point: The Celery and Smoke.

I don’t remember why a vegetable juicer ended up at the bar, or why I decided to put through a celery bunch. Nor do I remember why I thought to make a cocktail with celery juice, tequila, lime and mezcal. But I’m glad I did. One of the more unusual sounding beverages to make it onto the menu at the Modern is also one of our very best. When you take a sip, the taste starts out in the well-trodden territory of tequila and lime, but soon a savory celery taste comes to the fore and is followed by a subtle smokey flavor. It’s unusual. It’s refreshing. And it’s really good. I’d even drink one on a beach under a palm tree.

Celery and Smoke

  •  1.5 oz blanco tequila
  • .75 oz freshly extracted celery juice
  • .5 oz fresh lime juice
  • .5 oz agave nectar, diluted 1:1 with water
  • 1 tsp Del Maguey Chichicapa mezcal

Shake and strain into a tumbler filled with ice.

Some notes on ingredients:

– Most 100% agave blanco tequilas will work here, but I particularly like it with Chimayo blanco, which is also quite inexpensive

– Agave nectars vary in sweetness, so you may need to adjust the quantity you use.

– Del Maguey Chichicapa mezcal is a super-smoky Oaxacan mezcal and it’s essential to this drink. It is not cheap. But it is really good. Wait till payday if you have to. It’s worth it.

About our Bartender – Michael Bowers is the Head Bartender at the Modern Hotel and Bar in Boise, Idaho.  His patrons know him for the uncanny precision with which he tends his bar.  Michael’s cocktails have been noted by, among others, Food and Wine, Sunset Magazine, GQ, and the New York Times.  See more in The Drink archive.

Filed Under: Drink Tagged With: celery and smoke, summer drinks, tequilla, The Drink

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Comments

  1. Josh Macy says

    July 1, 2013 at 4:53 PM

    Ilegal is hands down the best Mezcal out there, though I accept your challenge and will try this post haste.

  2. mbowers says

    July 1, 2013 at 7:16 PM

    I love Ilegal, too. A lot. The Joven would work in the Celery and Smoke, but you might want to use a tiny bit more than a teaspoon. Ilegal isn’t as intensely flavored as the Chichicapa. Especially over the last couple years–what Ilegal has bottled recently isn’t nearly as punchy as what they were putting out 2-3 years ago. But, if I were you, I’d take the excuse to go out and buy another bottle of booze. The two are different and both completely delicious.

  3. southy says

    July 2, 2013 at 2:04 AM

    Does the agave and water really add anything to the drink that simple syrup wouldn’t? You know… other than keeping with a Mexican theme.

  4. Derek says

    July 2, 2013 at 9:57 AM

    been getting into mezcal more and more recently. I love that it’s got the smokiness of scotch but pairs better with cocktails.

  5. Alan says

    July 2, 2013 at 10:49 AM

    My wife has been trying to get me to include more veggies in my diet. Maybe I should refer her to this post.

  6. Greg_S says

    July 2, 2013 at 11:14 AM

    Want. To. Try.

  7. Greg_S says

    July 2, 2013 at 11:18 AM

    You can also direct here herehttp://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alcohol/SC00024

    and here http://www.esquire.com/the-side/feature/healthiest-alcohol-030810#slide-1

  8. Marshall Lilly says

    July 2, 2013 at 11:20 AM

    This looks incredible. It never would have occurred to me that celery juice could be incorporated into a cocktail.

  9. mbowers says

    July 2, 2013 at 2:18 PM

    Not sure. The oak in the scotch could be weird, but then again it’s a pretty small amount. Give it a shot.

  10. mbowers says

    July 2, 2013 at 2:24 PM

    It adds a bit of depth that you won’t find with simple syrup, but it won’t be bad. Think of it like cooking with stock instead of with water. As a general rule, I’m not a big fan of plain old white sugar simple syrup. I prefer a little bit of flavor to come along with the sweetness. Whether that flavor is molasses (from unrefined cane sugar), honey, agave or something else depends on the context. Most of the time I use a mixture of 3 parts white sugar to 1 part demerara sugar when making syrups.

  11. Jeremy Brooks says

    October 3, 2013 at 9:42 PM

    Made this tonight. This is quite good. I suggest giving the rim of the glass a light coating of celery salt, similar to what you would do when making a margarita. The bit of salt in each sip is a nice counterpoint to the flavors of the drink, and the aroma of the celery salt brings the celery to the foreground.

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