Benjawan: A Yuzu Cocktail

Name: Benjawan: A Yuzu Cocktail
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

Recipe: Sek Saraboon , MayRee , New York City

Photo: Michael Tulipan

November 02, 2022

To complement the fiery flavors and aromatic herbs of the dishes at New York City Thai restaurant MayRee, head bartender Sek Saraboon, formerly of The Met Bar in Bangkok, created a bright, spicy mezcal and yuzu cocktail that’s set aflame. For this home bartender-friendly version he switches out the restaurant’s showy Blue Blazer technique with fewer steps, a smaller amount of sambuca, and one long match.

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz. mezcal (MayRee uses De Maguey Vida)
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. fresh yuzu juice
1/2 oz. Ancho Reyes Chile liqueur
1/2 oz. agave syrup
1/4 oz. sambuca

Tools:shaker, strainer
Glass:coupe
Garnish:spiced salt rim (3:1 ground dry Thai chili and salt) with lime zest, inverted lime shell, dried Thai pepper

Preparation

Rim your glass, then set aside. Add the mezcal, Ancho Reyes, lime juice, yuzu, and agave syrup to a shaker with ice and shake. Strain the cocktail into the glass over an ice cube. Place an inverted lime shell on top and add the dried Thai pepper. Pour the sambuca into the inverted lime shell and carefully light it on fire with a long match and serve. Blow out the flame before taking a sip.