Can a cocktail be crafted in the spirit of a cocktail? No, this is not some mental Gordian knot. Thanks to a growing number of spirits capped at 24-percent alcohol that conform with state laws governing soju, restaurants licensed only to sell beer and wine can also create cocktails that are more than respectable.
Case in point: Hatch Southwest Kitchen in Carmel’s Barnyard, a finalist in the Weekly’s readers’ poll for Best Margarita – only the popular restaurant does not serve full-bore liquors. Yet the Prickly Pear Margarita buffers the curiously sweet (think ripe honeydew and not-quite-ripe strawberries) punch of the cactus fruit with impressions of grass, curls of smoke and a faint bitter streak, while orange liqueur layers in a notion of candied zest that brings everything together. The same familiar flavors from tequila and liqueur – along with a 48-hour jalapeño infusion – ignite the Smokin’ Gun, giving it a residual heat that a stir of strawberry simple syrup cannot quite ward off. The cocktail is a spicy but friendly gem, balancing sensations that are raspy, fruity and cool, but always flickering hot.
Both cocktails rely on Mesa Blanca and Grand Ma’ Triple L’Orange – the former distilled from Blue Weber agave, the latter a cordial derived from citrus. But there are also vodkas and other spirits available. Although lower in alcohol and sometimes on the sweet side, producers are raising the profile of these sojus. And the team at Hatch are taking full advantage.