1 ¼ oz of Agricole Rum (which is a style made from cane juice, rather than molasses)
¾ oz of Bourbon
½ oz of Manzanilla Sherry (Ivy recommends a brand called La Guita…which is delicious)
1 ¼ oz of Poblano Pepper syrup (which we’ll cover in a moment)
½ oz Pineapple juice
¾ oz Lime juice
Combine all these ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, give it a good, hearty shake, then strain into a Collins glass over crushed or pebble ice, garnish with a lime wheel, and enjoy.
To make that Poblano pepper syrup, Ivy recommends de-stemming 8 poblano peppers (but leaving in the seeds for a bit of spice), then juicing those until you have about 2 cups of pepper juice. Add that to a blender with 1 cup of agave syrup, blend until integrated, then bottle and refrigerate.
What we love about the Pancho Perico cocktail is its expert balance of multiple sweeteners and acids. You’ve got sweet notes from the rum, bourbon, and poblano syrup, acid from the Manzanilla sherry and the lime juice, and then the ½ oz of pineapple juice that straddles the line between sweet and tangy.
Personally, we’re a green drink podcast, especially when it’s summertime. So if you’re looking for a gorgeous highball that will blow away your guests this Labor Day weekend, we recommend grabbing the ingredients for the Pancho Perico. It’s not the simplest drink, but in the words of everyone’s favorite amphibian role model: it’s not easy being green.
SHOW NOTES
Ivy Mix has dominated the bartending industry for 16 years and has perused the cocktail scene since 2009. Using the popularity of agave spirits as a gateway, Ivy and her boss-turned-partner, Julie Reiner, opened Leyenda in 2015. This pan-Latin inspired bar functions as an avenue for Ivy to introduce people to the complex and amazing spirits of Central and South America.
After being defined as a successful woman in a male-dominated industry, Ivy wanted to move beyond gender definitions of her career to say yes, but I am also so much more than that. Through Speed Rack and Leyenda, Ivy fully immersed herself into every facet of mixology. Spirits of Latin America is Ivy’s newest project that takes an in-depth look into the drinking culture and history of Latin America. This book diverges from the typical tequila, gin, or vodka, shining a light onto grape-based spirits such as pisco, singani, and yaguara cachaça. As Ivy says, “there’s no book like it.”
