The King’s Peach
A challenge should invoke singular, exquisite results. I think we got all the way there with The King’s Peach. Our challenge at Brood & Barley was an approachable mezcal cocktail which would appeal to the crowd (you know who you are) inevitably just looking for “shots” and, at the same time, give those adventurous first time tasters of the spirit an easy, enjoyable introduction to mezcal that was fun to sip while offering up a new, memorable experience. But, why mezcal?
If you asked any distributor or bartender in the 90’s or even the early aughts about mezcal, more than likely you’d get a short description ending with a bit about a worm at the bottom of a bottle and a bitter, almost undrinkable spirit. But those days are long gone. Mezcal has become one of the most important spirits behind the bar and grown so rapidly in popularity that warnings have gone out from agave farmers and liquor distributors alike. Demand has far outstripped supply in many cases. Clearly, Mezcal has come into its stride in the US.
“In the United States, mezcal is commonly referred to as the ‘smoky cousin of tequila,’ and according to Bloomberg, the mezcal and tequila category will be the US’s most-purchased spirit by value, at around $13.3 billion in 2023. Although Mezcal still doesn’t have the global reach that tequila has, it grew 53% by value in 2021, which was nearly double the amount that tequila grew (27%). Last year, the top mezcal brands in the US included Pierde Almas, Bozal, and Ilegal.” -Sante Magazine
One among many ways cocktail bars are coming back after the recent pandemic is by turning to popular, trendy cocktails propagated on social media. Once one takes off online, it’s a given that you’ll need to be able to make it at your bar if for no other reason than the number of inquiring souls hounding your bartenders - and spending their money at your bar. Mezcal keeps coming up and is on pace growing in popularity as fast as any spirit in recent memory. Having a library of variations and good mezcals behind the bar is essential.
The King’s Peach can be expanded via full templates of mezcal/margarita cocktails and works just as well as a round of shots. Utilizing Cuishe, a subvarietal of the Agave karwinskii species of agave which grow wild in certain parts of Oaxaca, it remains something of a rarity. One is initially met with a sweet, floral note followed up immediately by herbs and truly gentle hints of minerality and smoke. The additional sweetness and texture of a properly crafted peach liqueur and the refined aromatics of fresh oregano and, YES. Please. Cheers.
