Cinco de Mayo is on Tuesday and it’s not all about Corona, people. Nor is it all about the margarita. While that is certainly a worthy cocktail to knock back whilst celebrating this most Americanized of Mexican holidays, there’s more you can mix tequila with than Cointreau and lime juice. You can also drink a Diabolito, which I’ll get to…
There’s also been a veritable explosion of new tequila brands — some with really cool-looking labels — in the past few years. Which is how I ended up sampling a bottle of Espolon Reposado, a tequila whose agave pinas are slow-cooked before the fermented and distilled product is aged in new American oak barrels to become a reposado.
I chose to try the tequila in a Diabolito cocktail because “diabolito” means little devil in Spanish, and I thought the name apropos for the Day of the Dead figures so prominent on the awesome label (as with wine, I know you’re not supposed to go for the cute labels, but…).
This cocktail mixes tequila with lime juice, Creme de Cassis and ginger ale, and while it had initial promise, I found the ginger ale overpowered the drink and left it too sweet besides. If the recipe making were up to me, I’d axe the ginger ale in favour of two ounces of a club soda topper, sweeten it with a bar spoon of agave syrup, build it in a smaller glass, and garnish it with blackberries (pictured). Then, I’d enjoy a couple “little devils” on Cinco de Mayo.
Best tequila label ever. And the cocktail’s not bad, either.
Diabolito
- 2 oz Espolon Reposado
- 1 oz lime juice
- 1/2 oz Creme de Cassis
- 4 oz ginger ale
Method: Build all ingredients in a highball glass. Stir. Garnish with a lime twist.
— Recipe courtesy Espolon
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