It’s hard to imagine that mezcal was nowhere to be found in London a few years ago – luckily those dark days are behind us. We should probably thank Philip Ward of New York’s Death & Co. for championing agave when he opened Mayahuel one block away in NYC’s East Village back in 2009, paving the way for Candelaria in Paris (2011) and El Nivel in London (2014). A shout out should also go to Melanie Symonds for her Quiquiriqui Mezcal work over here – go and check out Brahms & Lizst, her awesome East London off license and tasting room that specialises in mezcal and tequila.
Anyway, this is all a preamble to today’s cocktail on #BalconyBooze, a dangerously drinkable agave number from the aforementioned Philip Ward that features mezcal, aperol, maraschino and lime juice. It’s name, Division Bell, is apparently a reference to the Pink Floyd album that he listened to non-stop whilst working on Mayahuel. It’s a twist on Death & Co’s Naked & Famous, which itself is related to The Last Word (gin-based). All three are top drinks but I greatly prefer the Division Bell, as do my cocktail guinea pigs at home.
Philip’s recipe calls for Del Maguey San Luis del Rio mezcal but I tend to use Quiquiriqui Matatlan as it’s usually on my booze shelf (and more affordable!) – click here to pick some up online.
The details:
1 shot of Quiquiriqui
3/4 of a shot of Aperol
1/2 a shot of Luxardo Maraschino
3/4 of a shot of lime juice
Shake all ingredients with ice, and fine strain into a chilled glass. If you’ve got one to hand, garnish with a grapefruit twist. Good luck having just one of these juicy, smoky concoctions. I’m off to NYC to drink straight from the source (seriously, we’ve booked an AirBnb directly above Mayahuel). Salud!
