Instead of a margarita, try this smoky twist on a tequila sour cocktail with amaro & liquid smoke from Alton Brown's Pantry Raid video series.

Course: Drinks

Keyword: Amaro, Cocktails, Drinks, Smoky Tequila Sour, Tequila

Smoky Tequila Sour

Name: Smoky Tequila Sour
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1/2 medium orange; 1 lime, halved (with a thin sliced reserved for garnish); 1 1/2 fluid ounces blanco tequila; 1/2 fluid ounce Italian amaro (see note); 1 teaspoon agave syrup; 2 dashes liquid smoke; Ice cubes

Alton Brown with Smoky Tequila Sour cocktail

ACTIVE TIME: 10

TOTAL TIME: 10

Yield: 1 cocktail

When times are tough, I pull out my favorite bitter liqueurs — Italian amaros — for happy hour. There are a lot of different amaros, of course, but they're all characterized by, well, a medicinal bitterness — of which I happen to be a fan. But you can't just drink them straight all the time. No, you should also make cocktails with them, cocktails like this smoky twist on a margarita.

This recipe first appeared in the Pantry Raid video series.

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Software

1/2 medium orange
1 lime, halved (with a thin sliced reserved for garnish)
1 1/2 fluid ounces blanco tequila
1/2 fluid ounce Italian amaro (see note)
1 teaspoon agave syrup
2 dashes liquid smoke
Ice cubes

Specialized Hardware

Boston-style cocktail shaker

Small fine-mesh sieve

Cocktail coupe

ACTIVE TIME: 10

TOTAL TIME: 10

Yield: 1 cocktail

Procedure

Juice the orange half and the lime through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl or liquid measuring cup. Measure out 2 fluid ounces (60 ml) of the juice mixture and transfer to a cocktail shaker.Shake, don't stir, 'cause juice, syrup, and liquor all have different viscosities.
Add the tequila, amaro, agave, and liquid smoke to the shaker, then fill with ice cubes. Shake until the exterior of the shaker is very cold, 20 to 30 seconds. Strain into a cocktail coupe, garnish with the lime slice, and consume immediately.

Note: When it comes to the complex, and sometimes bracingly bitter-yet-oddly-delicious class of liqueurs known as "amaro," there are dozens if not hundreds of makers in Italy alone, so there are a lot to try. When it comes to cocktails like this, we typically reach for Montenegro, Averna, or Amaro Sibilla. Each will create a different drink to be sure, but all will be delicious.