Oaxaca Old Fashioned
Smoky mezcal and round reposado meet agave and bitters in a modern classic with deep, warm character.
Ingredients
- Reposado tequila45 ml
- Mezcal, smoky and earthy15 ml
- Agave syrup7.5 ml
- Aromatic bitters (Angostura)e.g. Angostura2 dashes
- Orange, flamed and expressed over the glass, to garnish (optional)1 twist
Method
- Pour the tequila, mezcal, agave syrup and bitters into a mixing glass.
- Fill with ice cubes and stir calmly for 20–30 seconds, until the drink is cold and lightly diluted.
- Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube.
- Flame a strip of orange peel lightly, express its oils over the drink and drop the peel into the glass to garnish.
Phil Ward, Death & Co., New York
About this drink
Phil Ward created this drink around 2007 at Death & Co in New York as an agave-rooted variation on the Old Fashioned. By letting mezcal play second fiddle to reposado tequila, he brought smoke and earth into a classic structure without drowning the elegant sweetness of agave. The drink is now firmly part of the modern cocktail canon and a favourite example of how small changes in spirit choice can open a whole new world of flavour.
