Mexican Armada

I went with three friends to Parlour restaurant in downtown Oakland. (Nice atmosphere and a lovely meal). I ordered this cocktail and was immediately wowed by it. The bartender was kind enough to share the recipe!

Note that there is one do-ahead step (the bitters)

1 ½  oz blanco tequila

1  oz. fresh lime juice

½  oz. Orgeat (almond syrup)

1/4 oz. Amontillado sherry

3 dashes Vanilla Aromatic Bitters*

Method: Shake all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker 15 times or till shaker is well chilled. Fine strain the liquid into a chilled “up” glass.

Garnish: a high-quality cherry on a cocktail pick

If the lime is particularly sour, decrease the lime juice to 3/4 oz. You do not have to use your best tequila here – I use Milagro brand that I buy at Trader Joe’s and it works just fine. Also I like to fish out an ice cube from the shaker & add to the glass – because I like to sip it slowly.

*Take a small bottle of Angostura bitters, and a vanilla bean pod cut down the center. Place the pods into the bitters and let infuse – you can use the next day, but longer is better.  Remove pods from bitters after 2 weeks – will store for a long time.

Here is the almond syrup I used.

 

 

Feeling ambitious? I canned my own Bourbon cherries – click here for recipe.

 

 

(Recipe for Mexican Armada used with permission.)