#Source: PunchDrink.Com

[xtruss]

Mexico City’s Tlecān Reimagines Tascalate — A Maya Drink made with Maíz, Cacao, Achiote and Water—as a bright and earthy mezcal cocktail. Photo: Andrew Reiner

An Ancient Drink Enters The 21st Century

— February 05, 2024 | By Ximena N. Beltran Quan Kiu

Tlecān, a minuscule mezcalería in Mexico City’s Roma neighborhood, is named after the Náhuatl word meaning “place of fire,” and it lives up to its name the moment you step inside.

A reddish-brown glow illuminates the space; smoke swirls under the dark and moody lighting. The air is thick and smells of an earthy resin. Along the back wall stands a replica of the disc of death, an iconic Aztec sculpture depicting Mictlantecuhtli, the god of death. It’s one of the bar’s many tributes to pre-Hispanic Mexican culture.

“Everything is designed so that whoever is Mexican feels proud to be Mexican, and whoever isn’t is impressed and wants to be Mexican,” says Eli Martinez Bello, co-owner of the bar. The bartender led the beverage program at Pujol, a revered culinary destination, for five years before transitioning to her current role.

Tlecān specializes in mezcal, offering 13 options from small-batch makers across the country who do not export their products outside of Mexico. At the bar, you can order any of the spirits neat, or enjoy them in a number of cocktails that take inspiration from centuries-old, pre-Hispanic drinks like tascalate.

Tascalate is more than 3,000 years old and originates from the southernmost Mexican state of Chiapas. It played a role in the ancient Maya city-state of Palenque, where greeting the king involved bowing, then drinking a full cup of tascalate as a sign of gratitude; leaving behind any liquid was considered disrespectful. Today, the drink is still primarily found in Chiapas.

“It’s a very simple and basic refreshment,” says Bernardo Serna, a partner of the mezcalería, “but that’s exactly why tascalate has lasted so long. Long before refrigeration began, people ground maíz, achiote and cacao into powder and preserved it. They survived winters by consuming this highly nourishing liquid.”

The drink itself is simple, made of pulverized toasted dry maíz (or corn), cacao and achiote (small, red, kernel-like seeds), blended with water—its name comes from the Náhuatl words “tlaxcalli” (tortilla) and “atl” (water). The maíz lends the drink a thick texture and mineral taste, while cacao brings bitter and sweet notes followed by the subtle heat of achiote. Everything is toasted before being ground down into a fine powder. Water is then carefully added to bring the tascalate to life.

At Tlecān, the drink follows a similar basic format. “We could have made these ingredients in-house at Tlecān, but instead we want to support local artisans whenever we can, so we purchase these handmade products in Chiapas,” adds Serna. In Chiapas, depending on the season, the drink is served piping hot or ice-cold and it’s now sometimes made with milk. But at the Mexico City bar, where it takes the form of a sour, it’s always chilled and made with water.

“Tlecān uses the tascalate to pay homage to all maíz drinks such as atole, tejate and champurrado—thick, cereal-like beverages that get their density from one of the oldest food ingredients in Mexican culture: maíz,” says Serna. The bar team found that tascalate’s unique texture was best suited to the sour template, made here with a base of mezcal complemented by egg white, agave nectar and lemon. “We use small-batch suppliers, so it’s possible the mezcal in the drink can change due to availability,” says Serna, “but the cocktail will always use a mezcal that’s earthy and a little acidic to bring out the flavor notes of the tascalate.”

The end result is a brick red cocktail topped off with a thick egg white foam. Despite its bold color, the Tascalate Sour tastes light, bright and earthy. It’s served in a coupe and finished with a dusting of fermented cacao powder.

“We’re working to tell the story of many generations of Mexicans and the history behind some of these traditional beverages,” says Martinez Bello, who serves her drinks alongside a modest food menu of street food staples, like the pambacito, a take on pambazo, a chunky bread roll dipped in salsa and stuffed with chorizo, mashed potatoes and Chihuahua cheese. Other cocktail highlights include the Todas Las Flores, a take on tepache that’s prepared with guanábana (soursop) and lavender; the Pulque Colada, where pulque, a boozy fermented brew made from agave sap and referred to as “the drink of the Gods,” arrives fresh from the Mexican state of Hidalgo and serves as the base; and the Ocelóyotl, which incorporates Veracruz’s traditional carajillo, a sweet coffee drink, in its build.

On Instagram, Tlecān has nearly 25,000 followers, but it follows only four accounts—all cultural institutions. It’s a nod to the bar’s design, which is made to mimic a museum gallery; the Aztec statue replicates one at Mexico’s Museo Nacional de Antropología. It’s the bar’s way of saying, “If you love us, go learn more about us, our culture,” says Serna.

For the bar team, Tlecān is a sacred space to pay tribute to pre-Hispanic traditions through gourmet drinks and dishes that are emblematic of Mexico. It’s an invitation for guests, Mexican and non-Mexican alike, to delve into the extensive history and rich culture of the country.

“I got into mixology to tell stories,” Martinez Bello adds. “Then I realized, there’s so much that’s already happened, things we can’t forget. So rather than inventing new [stories], I made this about going deep into Mexico’s history and culture, and bringing it to people here and now through drinks.”

— Elizabeth Quan Kiu V. helped translate and fact-check this piece. She is a Spanish-language journalist, translator and educator. Born and raised in Mexico City, Elizabeth immigrated to Chicago in the 1990s. She’s fluent in English and resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

[thinksmartandwinmillions]

Even Beer Is a Spritz Now

Even Beer Is a Spritz Now

https://punchdrink.com/articles/beer-spritz-spaghett-nascar-camparty/ Source: Even Beer Is a Spritz Now

[redundantmidlife]

Ice, ice baby. Summer's here and the time is right...for cool cocktails and novelty ice cubes

Summer's here and the time is right.... Lockdown could be coming to an end, the sun is shining, and we're all feeling a little happier. Although the time may not be right for dancing in the street just yet, it is the time for making and shaking some cool cocktails with ice cubes to match. Given we're all about the unusual, we've decided to put together a short list of offbeat cocktails, from Star Wars to Titanic, all of which can be supplemented with some quirky but relevant ice cubes from Moldyfun.com. The cocktails we're going to be looking at are: The Laughing BuddhaTornadoJaw's BreakfastTitanicDeath StarBlow My Skull Off So grab that cocktail shaker, chill those cubes, and sit back in a socially distanced sort of way to enjoy the taste of summer!

Laughing Buddha Cocktail

The Laughing Buddha brings good luck, contentment and abundance. He helps you get lots of whatever you wish for – be it wealth, happiness, satisfaction or, in my case, pubs opening and some decent socialising. Despite looking a little like me following my lockdown diet, the Laughing Buddha cocktail is actually a bit healthy. I'm only saying that as it includes ginger and chilli's, both of which are supposed to be good for you. Ginger for example helps with muscle soreness (post Joe Wicks) and also morning sickness (post lockdown frolicking). Obviously if you are battling morning sickness I don't recommend drinking the cocktail yourself. Laughing Buddha cocktail ingredients 2 oz (30 ml) citron vodka 1 oz (15 ml) lime juice1/2 oz (7 ml) Five Spice Agave Nectar2 oz (30 ml) ginger beer3 pieces ginger3 slices Serrano chilli pepper (to taste) The Laughing Buddha cocktail can be taken to a whole new level by the inclusion of Laughing Buddha ice cubes, so snap up a fun silicone mould to finish the drink off.

Laughing Buddha Silicone Ice Mould Cocktail sourced from: https://punchdrink.com/recipes/laughing-buddha/

Tornado Summer Cocktail

Obviously a tornado can conjure up images of wind and rain, but in this case it's a smooth rum based drink from the Caribbean. As the Caribbean is somewhere I'd like to go when flights resume, this is one for yours and my imagination. Think of the turquoise sea, dark blue sky and white sand. Perfect. Tornado Cocktail Ingredients 2 oz (25 ml) dark rum1 oz (15 ml) light rum1 egg whiteDash of lemon juiceDash of passion fruit juice Obviously I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't recommend some ice cubes, so get one of our silicone mould ice trays and make tornado shaped ice cubes. Brings your cocktail to life.

Tornado Ice Cubes, for Stormy Times Original recipe taken from: http://recipes.hellomagazine.com/cocktails/tag/the-tornado/

Jaw's Breakfast Cocktail

If you fancy something with a bit more bite, then this one could be for you. It conjures up images of sand, sea and... and sharks. It's a cool cocktail with colour. 2 oz (30 ml) Tequila 1 oz (15 ml) Grand Marnier1 oz (15 ml) Blue Curacao1/2 oz (7.5 ml) lemon juiceDash of orange bittersSlice of lemon If you like a floater in your cocktail then these ice fin novelty cubes are perfect to finish the drink off.

Shark Fin Ice Cubes Cocktail recipe sourced from: https://thedrinkblog.com/jaws-breakfast/ As they said in the film, "You're gonna need a bigger boat," so the next cool cocktail plays on that idea.

Titanic Cocktail

Continuing the nautical theme, and I guess disaster movies, along comes the Titanic cocktail. Sailing a ship into an iceberg would probably be more explainable if you'd had a few of these. Titanic Cocktail Ingredients 2 oz (30ml) Vodka0.5 oz. (7.5 ml) Martini bianco (dry)0.5 oz (7.5 ml) Galliano0.5 oz (7.5 ml) Blue Curaçao So for novelty ice cubes, this time we actually have a (small) replica of the Titanic made using a silicone ice cube mould. So this time the ship is made of ice, rather than being sunk by it.

Down she goes. The ship that is, with a Titanic ice cube Original recipe sourced from: https://www.cocktail.uk.com/cocktails/titanic

The Death Star Cocktail

I admit it's not the jolliest sounding cocktail, but as there are plenty of Star Wars cocktails about I thought we'd be a bit different. Plus I like a good whisky sour, so this is one for the garden with mates. Death Star Cocktail Ingredients 1 oz (15 ml) Jägermeister 1 oz (15 ml) Whiskey1 oz (15 ml) Vodka1 oz (15 ml) Triple sec2 oz (15 ml) Sour mix2 oz (15 ml) Coca-Cola Obviously this is a little on the dark side...but all you need to do is put the ingredients together and shake and prepare for your vary own Star Wars. The just add a Death Star Ice Cube to finish off your Star Wars themed drink.

Death Star Ice Cube Mould Recipe sourced from: https://www.liquor.com/recipes/death-star-2/

Blow My Skull Cocktail

I like a bit of history so thought I'd mention this one as my final choice. It even has an entry on Wikipedia. I have to admit I've not made it, but can feel some fun coming on when we're finally allowed to get close to each other. A few of these and there'll be some hugging of something or someone for sure. Blow My Skull is an alcoholic punch (so not strictly a cocktail) that originated in mid-19th century in Australia. As originally described in The English and Australian Cookery Book by Edward Abbott, it calls for two pints of boiling water, mixed with sugar loaf, lime or lemon juice, one pint of ale (dark), one pint of rum, and half a pint of brandy. Some people call the drink Blow My Skull Off, which may also refer to a historical version made with ingredients unlikely to be in your store cupboard. Turkish opium anyone? Blow My Skull Off Ingredients Two pints boiling waterSugarLime or lemon juicePint of Ale or PorterPint of Rum Half a Pint of Brandy (!) Method: Dissolve 165g (3/4 cup) of brown cane sugar into a litre of boiling water in a large bowl to dissolve. Then add the juice of six limes (about 180 ml), and 500 ml each of porter and navy-style rum (57% alcohol content) and 250 ml of strong brandy, stir and refrigerate until chilled. Serve in half pint glasses. Again, I'd suggest adding in some novelty ice cubes to complete the drink... Not the cheeriest ones to end on but at least these are reusable for Halloween...

Skull Ice Cubes to Blow Your Mind Recipe sourced from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blow_My_Skull_Off

Cool Cocktails Conclusion

There you have it. Some cool cocktails that are off the beaten track. Now summer's here and we're no longer clapping in the street, don't forget to raise a glass of your cool cocktails to the carers and NHS staff who have got us here. I'm also celebrating being hip, well having a new one at least (have I told you my story?), a new job and summer in general, so I'm off to give them a go (again). Ice Cube Mould Tip: When making novelty cubes, boil the water first and let it cool. It's a way to ensure they come out crystal clear, rather than cloud... See the Moldyfun range of novelty ice cube moulds here Read the full article

[tranquiltuesdays]

Black Tea with Milk or Not To answer a frequently asked question I get about tea and milk, I made this video. In this video we discuss brewing Qimen (aka Keemun) Black Tea. Brewing specifications in this video are: 1 teaspoon of tea for 150ml of water, water temperature 200F. To learn more about the history and stories about Qimen Black Tea please visit: https://blog.tranquiltuesdays.com/post/33694276516/qimen-black-tea-history To see photos of the tea fields of where this Qimen is grown in Qimen, Anhui please visit: https://blog.tranquiltuesdays.com/post/48198660711/visit-to-qimen-black-tea-fields-on-our-spring The sources mentioned in this video are: "Liquid Intelligence" by Dave Arnold (https://wwnorton.com/books/Liquid-Intelligence) The wonderful website Compound Interest by Andy Brunning, a chemistry educator based in Cambridge, UK. If you want to see molecular structure of polyphenols and more there are great illustrations and infographics here: https://www.compoundchem.com/2014/02/01/polyphenols-antioxidants-the-chemistry-of-tea/ My longtime friend since high school summer nerdcamp, the one and only Don Lee: https://punchdrink.com/lookbook/don-lee-bartender/ My glasses were picked out 3 years ago with the help of Shana, who changed my life in a few ways but namely emphasizing how I needed to only wear glasses with nose pads, at the Eye-to-Eye Vision Center on 86th St. I can't wait to visit her again in person when we can all roam freely outside our homes again. To receive emails with invites to online tea hangouts in the “Tranquil Tuesdays Virtual Tea Room,” bite-sized how-to tea brewing videos delivered to your inbox, and for help finding moments of tranquility through tea, sign-up for our weekly newsletter at: https://welcome.tranquiltuesdays.com/tea