One Good Ritual

Goal

Finally time to make the first iteration of the Mayan Martini. A drink inspired by the Mayan xocolatl; a spiced chocolate drink that was considered a ritual elixir.

Spec

1oz Cacao nib-infused Reposado
1oz Jalapeno-infused Reposado
1oz Sweet Vermouth

Observations

My biggest observation and goal for the future is to try this with Cocchi di Torino. I think Dolin Rouge did well, but I had in my mind that Cocchi di Torino would land exactly where I wanted the vermouth to land.

The jalapeno flavor ended up dominating the cacao tequila. This could very well have been because I garnished the drink with a jalapeno wheel with the placenta still attached.

On their own, the infused tequilas were actually exactly what I was going for. The cacao-infused tequila was chocolatey in the bitter, earthy, drying way rather than “candy bar”. The jalapeno tequila was lightly spiced, it tingled on the palate but wasn’t “hot”, though my personal tolerance to capsaicin may be interfering here.

Excellent foam in the glass. Exactly what I was going for. Xocolatl is described as being highly foamed as the drink was poured between two cups to create froth. I was surprised at how white the foam was considering the spirits were brown/beige, and the Dolin Rouge was also that garnet color.

Future Direction

1.5oz Cacao tequila
0.5oz Jalapeno tequila
1oz sweet vermouth
Jalapeno wheel riding the rim rather than on a pick and in the drink.

I think if I can reign in the jalapeno we’ll be very close to where the drink wants to be. It’s just reading as earthy, vegetal spice right now and that’s not quite where I want to be.

Adding in vanilla may also be a good possibility to help round and soften the sharpness. I would like to avoid infusing the vanilla into either of the tequilas, though I could see it pairing well with the cacao tequila. I just want to keep that fairly pure in case I want to make something like a Choco-Margarita, or something in that family.