Recipe

• 1 oz Mezcal
• .75 oz St. Germain Elder Flower Liqueur
• 1 oz Dry Vermouth
• .5 oz Dry White Wine
• 1 dash Celery Bitters (optional)
• Garnish: Olive

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled and diluted. Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with an olive.

* * * *

I can easily forgive you for not knowing that All Souls’ Day is different from yesterday’s All Saints’ Day. If yesterday was about honoring all the saints in the world today, today is about honoring all those that have died and gone on before us. (Together, these two days constitute Mexico’s “Day of the Dead”.) This day helps us honor our ancestors–both in blood and spirit–to feel their legacy, support, and presence in some way.

It also lends itself to rich symbolism for a great cocktail! This drink is made entirely of spirits (get it?). The Mezcal and celery bitters recall the darkness of death, while the olive brings to mind the salt of tears for those that have passed before us.

But the vermouth and wine bring complexity that reminds us there’s more to it than that. Death is not the end of the story. That’s when the saintly liqueur St Germain brings a bouquet of sweetness and brightness through the darkness. It’s a lovely, delicate, complex drink, like our spiritual legacy.

Ingredient Notes

I used Del Maguey Vida Clasico Mezcal for the base. St. Germain is St. Germain. You might be able to get away with a cheaper imitation, but there really isn’t a true substitute. For vermouth, I used regular ol’ Martini & Rossi Extra Dry–nothing fancy. Use whatever white wine you have, but the drier the better (I had a Pinot Grigio on hand).

Lastly, the celery bitters. They are optional, but they do add a fascinating touch of complexity. If you don’t have these, don’t use some other bitters. You need a bitter vegetal note, and I don’t know of another kind of bitters that would work. Here, I used Bitter Truth Celery Bitters.

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