It's just another Sunday, (well, OK, it's November 5th-write this date down in you cocktail manual), and the boss and I are headed out for a couple of quick ones at the Dead Rock Stars Happy Hour at The Monkey Bar, located in trendy midtown Sacramento, CA. Turns out most of the guys we hear on the jukebox are still living and only occationally do we notice a dead guy singing or doing a solo. We've decided not to pursue it this time around because we're on a mission: create a new alcholic beverage, one that NAFTA would be proud of. Sam McKinney (I did mention he's my boss, right?) has got the name for his new concoction, but the actual mix needed to be narrowed down, not an easy task since he's trying to make the first Mexican/American libation. Eddie, our bartender for the evening, was willing to pour us what we needed; Sam had just got paid and the large bills were burning a hole in his pocket. Me? I was there for my years of experience in cocktail field research. So, we threw down the quantlet, along with several gin and tonics to help us get started. So, what exactly do you put in the first Mexican/American cocktail? This much we know: it's got to have tequila! The next booze choice had to be an American drink and frankly, there really isn't that many to choose from; Rye Whiskey or Bourbon. We decided to go high-end, starting out with a shot of Woodbridge Bourbon. Smooth and silky, it goes down easy by itself, so it should prove to be perfect as a base for our drink and we were absolutely right. Petron was the natural choice for the tequila, itself a thing of beauty and one of the best tequila shooters around. To jazz it up, we decided to add Creme de Menthe, but too much of a good thing turned out to be just that, so another try at the mix put us with a ratio of one shot each of tequila and bourbon, a float of Creme de Menth, and then the next decision was the mixer; soda? Collins? Coke? Hey! Coke always sounds good when your thirsty, so we gave it a go. Once again, too much of a good thing turned out just awful. It was almost painful having to dump all that expensive booze down the sink, but I'm pretty sure The Monkey Bar wasn't going to need to call a plumber to clear any clogged drains that night! Instead, we finished it off with just a splash of coke, garnished it with a red maraschino cherry and, Ouila!, we now had our cocktail: The Gringo De' Beaner!
So, in short, start off with a highball full of ice and have the following ready:
High-end bourbon (Woodbridge this time around).
Petron Tequila.
Creme de Menthe
Coca-Cola.
Red maraschino cherries.
Pour one shot each of bourbon and tequila,
Float about a quarter shot of creme de menthe over a spoon,
Just a splash of Coke, and
Top it off with a cherry.
Drink Up!
