The Mezcal Cocktail That’s a Vegan’s Dream
We’ve all seen those beautiful foam-topped cocktails decorating the bartop, leaving us with deep cravings simply based on how lovely they look. For vegans though, the frothy libation may be off limits because most of those fab foams are whipped up with egg whites. Fear not, however, as this smoky and sweet mezcal mixup invites aquafaba as an egg-white stand-in. When shaken and aerated, aquafaba (aka: chickpea bean juice) sets up nicely as a pretty lather to top your sipper. *If imbibing in spirits isn’t your thing, you can still mix it up minus the mezcal and expect a spicy-sweet little treat.
SMOKY MEZCAL INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons Aquafaba (source by draining and saving liquid from a can of chickpeas)1½ Mezcal½ ounce Hibiscus Simple Syrup (recipe below)1-2 ounce Lapsang Souchong tea, brewed and cooled1 teaspoon Darkhorse Fermented Jalapeno Hot Sauce1 ounce Meyer Lemon Juice
SMOKY MEZCAL ASSEMBLY
1 | Pre-chill a coupe or fanciful cocktail glass. 2 | In a cocktail shaker, add aquafaba and shake vigorously for 20-30 seconds. (This will aerate the bean juice.)3 | Next, add a handful of ice, the cooled Lapsang Souchong tea, hibiscus simple syrup, Darkhorse Fermented Jalapeno hot sauce, and mezcal. Shake vigorously for another 60 seconds. 4 | Strain through a fine mesh cocktail strainer into a chilled coupe, and serve.
HIBISCUS SIMPLE SYRUP INGREDIENTS
4 Hibiscus Tea Bags, or 2-4 tablespoons Loose Hibiscus Tea (finely ground)Purified Water1 cup Organic Sugar or Organic Powdered Sugar (if you use powdered, your syrup will turn out bright pink instead of red — for this recipe, I used powdered)
HIBISCUS SIMPLE SYRUP ASSEMBLY
1 | In a saucepan bring 1 cup of water to a boil, and remove from heat. 2 | Add the tea bags and cover for 15 minutes allowing to steep. 3 | After 15 minutes, stir in sugar with a fork or small whisk and allow sugar to dissolve. 4 | Pour syrup into a non-plastic bowl and allow to cool. 5 | With a funnel, pour into a glass bottle, cap, and store in refrigerator up to 4 weeks.Christine Dionese, co-founder of flavor ID is an integrative health and food therapy specialist and wellness, lifestyle, and food journalist. She has dedicated her career to helping others understand the science of happiness and its powerful effects on everyday human health by harnessing the power of the epigenetic landscape. Christine lives, works, and plays bicoastally between Southern California and upstate New York with her family.
