Rethinking Agave

As the weather cools, keep TEQUILA and MEZCAL on your bar cart to use in classic cocktails

- JACK BETTRIDGE

So many tequila drinks are tailor-made as summer fresheners-Margaritas, Tequila Sunrises, Palomas-that we tend to forsake agave-based spirits when the days get short. And that's a shame. The burgeoning choices in aged tequila are such that our friends from south of the border can easily partner up in classic cocktails that traditionally call for other liquors. Añejo tequilas (aged a year or more) come with a backbone that stands up to a variety of weighty additives.

We test mixed some barroom mainstays using not only tequila but also Mezcal, its smoky-tasting agave cousin, and found they are spirits for all seasons.

OLD-FASHIONED

What's more appropriate than refashioning the Old-Fashioned with añejo tequila? The Spanish word for "old" is already in its name. You start with the seminal form of the cocktail-a mix of spirits, bitters and sugar-then swap out the liquor portion (typically rye whiskey or Bourbon) with a tequila that will continue the color scheme as well as provide wood notes and its own spicy and herbal charms.

Despite its name, this once modestly adorned drink has morphed to the point that some look like fruit cocktails with a cherry on top. Avoid that. Provided you don't make it too sweet, the tequila Old-Fashioned is only a few steps away from experiencing the spirit's charms neat. Replace the traditional sugar cube with agave syrup, which will illuminate notes such as caramel and vanilla. The bitters in the drink show off toastier, more savory characteristics and resist cloying. To that end, keep the garnishes citric and leave the maraschino cherries for ice cream sundaes.

TEQUILA OLD-FASHIONED

2 ounces Casa Noble añejo

1 teaspoon agave syrup (or simple syrup)

2 drops Angostura bitters 

1 lemon twist (peel)

1 orange twist (peel)