Leña: A Tequila Cocktail - Imbibe Magazine Subscribe + Save

Leña: A Tequila Cocktail

The complexity of a Jungle Bird with the heat of a spicy Margarita.

Bar director Ricardo Rodriguez of Lita in Aberdeen, New Jersey, enjoys the process of figuring out how to make different flavors complement one another. So he couldn’t resist blending his two favorite cocktails together. “I wanted to combine the agave and heat of a spicy Margarita with the tropical and bitter notes of a Jungle Bird,” he says. The result is a bright, refreshing cocktail balanced with bitterness and subtle heat.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 oz. blanco tequila
  • 1 oz. fresh pineapple juice
  • 3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 oz. simple syrup (1:1)
  • 1/2 oz. gentian liqueur (Lita uses Luxardo Bitter Bianco)
  • 1/4 oz. Ancho Reyes Verde
  • Tools:shaker, strainer
  • Glass:rocks
  • Garnish:Tajín (to rim the glass), pineapple half-wheel

Preparation

Rim a glass with tajín and set aside. Add all of the ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake until cold and strain over ice into the prepared glass.

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