Mezcal, Lime, Cilantro, Negra Modelo

Continuing our beer week, today's drink comes out of a book about beer cocktails, creatively named "Beer Cocktails", by Howard and Ashley Stelzer. I really wanted to make a beer cocktail with mezcal, and so this one piqued my interest.

Para Todo Bien2 oz Mezcal1 oz Lime juice.75 oz Simple syrupMuddle 3 - 4 sprigs of cilantro in the syrup, then add the mezcal and lime juice and shake over ice. Salt half of your glass' rim, then double-strain the drink into the glass, topping it off with 4 oz Negra Modelo. Garnish with cilantro.

We unfortunately used the last of our cilantro when muddling, so we improvised and garnished our drink with a lime wheel. Also, the original recipe says you should top the drink with 12 oz of Negra Modelo, and that was supposed to make two servings in total. We decreased the amount of beer in ours to 4 oz and kept it to one serving because we didn't want to drown the drink in so much beer, and because we felt like the portions seemed more enjoyable as a single serving.Admittedly, this drink is margarita-esque. A good way to save a bad margarita (maybe the kind you get at your neighborhood Mexican family restaurant, and the like) is to pour some Corona or Negra Modelo into your drink. This beer cocktail extends this idea, using a quality margarita as the base. It's true that you won't find any triple sec here, but the beer kind of occupies the same space and lends similar flavors to the drink. And of course the mezcal just keeps things mysterious and interesting.