Superclean summer drink sotol margarita twist

Superclean: A Sotol Margarita

Name: Superclean: A Sotol Margarita
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

Recipe: Patrick Connolly , Otoño , Los Angeles

Photo: John Valls

July 10, 2023

An herbaceous summer cooler.

To complement the crisp green-pepper and citrus notes found in sotol, Patrick Connolly at Otoño in LA built a Margarita with added herbal complexity from a basil simple syrup and an absinthe rinse. “Superclean was inspired by my family and culture in LA,” says Connolly. “My father’s family’s roots are in Chihuahua, so that’s why I wanted to use sotol. The absinthe rinse is the kicker, really giving the drink those extra layers.”

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz. sotol (Otoño uses Los Magos)
1 oz. fresh lime juice
3/4 oz. basil syrup
1/2 oz. dry curaçao
1 tsp. absinthe

Tools:shaker, strainer
Glass:rocks
Garnish:orange peel, optional salt rim

Preparation

Add the absinthe to a glass and swirl to coat the sides of the glass, then discard the excess. (If using the optional salt rim, run the cut edge of a lime around the rim of the glass and dip into coarse salt.) Add a large ice cube to the glass. Shake all of the remaining ingredients with ice and strain into the prepared glass, then garnish.

Basil SyrupIn a blender, add 1 packed cup of basil leaves and 1 cup of water and blend well. Strain the mixture into a saucepan and add 3/4 cup of granulated sugar. Simmer over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool and bottle for use, keeping refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.