Cocktail Recipe: Manhattan Heights

A variation on the Manhattan with mezcal and sherry

First the recipe and then the backstory:

• 1.5 oz mezcal (preferably sotol)

• 1 oz sherry (preferably amontillado)

• 0.5 oz sweet vermouth

• dash of chocolate bitters

• cocktail cherry (with a little syrup)

This is the first cocktail recipe I’m posting, and it’s very close to my heart. It similar to a classic Manhattan, but with a smoky mezcal or sotol (or tequila in a pinch). To enhance (but not overpower) the delicate flavor of the spirit, I added a little vermouth and just a bit more sherry. The style and sweetness of the sherry is up to you, but I suggest something not too sweet, ideally an Amontillado. Stir all the ingredients together with ice and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass (like a coupe or an old-fashioned glass).

The Manhattan Heights is named for a neighborhood in central El Paso where my grandmother-in-law lived, my father-in-law grew up, and I spent some time myself. Right on the edge of the Franklin Mountains, this area is home to some delicious Mexican food, and it’s also where I did a lot of writing for my upcoming fantasy novel The Lasting Lands.

The focus of this drink is the mezcal, so choose carefully. The regional mezcal variant of Chihuahua (the Mexican state bordering on El Paso) is made from agave-related desert spoon plants and known as sotol. Tequila is technically a type of mezcal as well, but it’s generally not produced in the same artisanal way and doesn’t have the same smoky flavor. It also works in this recipe, but it makes for a much softer drink.

This cocktail is around 30% alcohol by volume, so it’s meant to be a sipper. Enjoy it carefully, consciously, with consideration. The ingredients and care coming together here—the fusion of the Old World and the New—is something that should never be taken for granted.