Mezcalita de Piña

I think I may be subconsciously wishing for Spring Break.

I’ve been burning my “Caribbean Escape” candle all week long, I can’t stop pinning tropical cocktails, and now I’m making them. It’s okay, though! Apparently, February 22 was National Margarita Day, so really I’m late instead of early. Plus, I totally didn’t have to wear a jacket outside, yesterday. It was 57. That’s like… almost Spring-ish…

Right now you’re like, okay, what the heck is a “Mezcalita”?! Good question. It’s a margarita made with Mezcal instead of Tequila. What is Mezcal and how is it different than Tequila? Here’s a handy-dandy webpage that will get into all the specifics for you, but the bottom line is: they are produced in different regions, with different varieties of agave, with different production processes.

Let’s talk a bit about this drink. It’s phenomenal. It’s spicy, and sweet, and smoky, and don’t try to tell me you refuse to try it because you hate cilantro because it’s amazing in this, dang it! Okay, if you are one of those serious cilantro-phobes you can replace it with basil (especially Thai basil!) or mint.

This cocktail is amazingly refreshing, and super unique. I love the smokiness of the grilled pineapple with the heat from the jalapeño. It’s great for parties because you can double or triple or quadruple the recipe to make a large batch all at once.

I didn’t change much from the original Saveur recipe, except to up the liquor content a bit, because I like boozy drinks, okay? Especially when I’m using something as smooth and sweet as Mezcal!

You’re going to totally love this, promise.