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Epicurious

Redheaded Saint

4.3

(9)

Three tall cocktails made with tequila mezcal raspberry syrup and ginger beer.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert

An homage to what may be a Trader Vic original from his 1946 Book of Food and Drink, the El Diablo, this blush concoction replaces that venerable old highball’s creme de cassis (a.k.a. black currant liqueur) with raspberry. A little real, honest raspberry in this context goes a long way to brightening up the drink—though you may want to adjust with more lime juice depending on the sweetness of your ginger beer.

Smoky mezcal plays wonderfully with the biggest, boldest ginger beer you can find, while raspberry and Peychaud’s bitters are a copacetic team in this summer cocktail. For the tequila I like Siembre Azul Blanco or Fortaleza.

Looking for other uses for your raspberry syrup? Try the frothy Clover Club, the ultra-refreshing Applejack Fix, or this big-batch raspberry lemonade.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    3 minutes

  • Yield

    Makes 1

Ingredients

1½ oz. blanco tequila
¾ oz. fresh lime juice
½ oz. mezcal
¼ oz. Raspberry Syrup (see recipe)
3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters, divided
1 oz. ginger beer (preferably Barritts)
Lime wheel (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine 1½ oz. blanco tequila, ¾ oz. fresh lime juice, ½ oz. mezcal, ¼ oz. Raspberry Syrup, 2 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters, and ice in a cocktail shaker. Seal and shake until well chilled, approximately 10 seconds.

    Step 2

    Add ice to a Collins glass and pour in 1 oz. of ginger beer. Strain tequila mixture through a Hawthorne strainer into prepared glass. Give a gentle stir and garnish with a lime wheel and a dash of Peychaud’s on top.

TagsCocktailAlcoholBeveragesBittersMezcalTequilaSouthwesternAmericanRaspberryBerryFruitDairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreeVegetarianVeganQuickEasy30 Minutes or LessEpicurious

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