John Sedlar of Rivera was on sideDish, our bonus podcast, a couple of weeks ago. Here’s his recipe for a holiday inspired Mezcal cocktail:
1 750 ml bottle good quality Mezcal
1 small tender pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed, or, 1 small can pumpkin puree
1 vanilla bean split
2 Tablespoons grated piloncillo
1 cup heavy creme
Allspice and cinnamon to taste
Pinch of granulated sugar
Toss the piloncillo and cubed pumpkin in a large bowl till coated. Layer a sheet pan with aluminum foil and place the pumpkin in the center. Cover with more foil and cook in a 400 degree oven until pumpkin is tender about 90 minutes. Remove and cool. Place the cooled pumpkin in a food processor or blender, and pulse until smooth.
Combine the pumpkin, the mezcal and the scraped vanilla bean in a glass container and macerate for 3 to 7 days in the refrigerator. Sieve the mixture through a coffee filter to remove the pumpkin pulp and the vanilla bean and return the liquid to a decorative decanter.
In a small bowl, whip the crème until peaks form then add a pinch of sugar, cinnamon and allspice. Top each caballito glass of pumpkin mezcal with a dollop of spiced crème.