El Gibson: A Mezcal Gibson

Name: El Gibson: A Mezcal Gibson
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

Recipe: John Douglass , Pretty Decent , Louisville, Kentucky

Photo: Andrew Hyslop

January 29, 2024

An agave-inspired take on the classic.

“In the spring, we went hard on spring onions at the farmers market, and pickled them,” says John Douglass of Imbibe 75 Place to Watch, Pretty Decent in Louisville, Kentucky. “The brine became the dirty in this Gibson riff from our second menu.” Douglass notes that if spring onions aren’t in season, the recipe still works perfectly well using small yellow onions.

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz. mezcal
3/4 oz. blanc vermouth
1/2 oz. pickled onion brine

Tools:barspoon, strainer
Glass:Nick & Nora
Garnish:small wedge of pickled onion

Preparation

Place the pickled onion wedge in a chilled Nick & Nora glass. In a mixing glass, stir all of the ingredients with ice, then strain into the prepared glass.

Pickled Spring OnionsThoroughly wash a bunch of spring onions, and use a knife to remove all of the green parts. Cut the onions into wedges, maintaining the root end (to hold the onion together). Pack the onions into a sanitized canning jar or a large food-safe plastic storage container.

In a pot, combine a mixture of 60 percent water and 40 percent champagne vinegar (the quantity will depend on the size of the batch you’re preparing). Weigh this liquid mixture and add 5 percent of its weight in sugar, and 3 percent of its weight in salt. Add several bay leaves, 1 Tbsp. of black peppercorns, and 1 Tbsp. of coriander seeds, and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking to dissolve the sugar.

Once the mixture is boiling, remove it from the heat and pour it over the onions, to cover. Cover the container and let it cool; will keep refrigerated for up to 1 month.