Margs from p 20 have been there for years.) All said, this marg is crisp and balanced and invigorat- ing, a platonic version of the classic, sigh- inducing tequila daisy. For many margarita drinkers, though, the classics are but the starting point. Sadly, in our Valley-wide galaxy of margar- ita riffs, most are lackluster. Sugary. Over- done. Extended beyond what a margarita is. But flawless progressive takes are possi- ble, and they can rock. My favorite? I have two, each from a newer restaurant. New-Age Favorite #1: A Peppery Curveball The Hatch chili margarita at Valentine is probably the most hallucinatory margarita in town. This cloudy yellow potion is a cir- cus of citrus and peppers in a glass boot. Barman and co-owner Blaise Faber says it’s his best-selling cocktail. The fiendishly complex Valentine ver- sion starts with zero tequila. Instead, it uses a split base of mezcal and vodka in- fused with Hatch chile. This margarita loops in three citrus juices: lemon, lime, and yuzu. These are mixed with bell pep- per juice (yup) and two kinds of compound sugar (one using piloncillo and roasted Hatch chiles, the other using citrus peels) into lemonade. The lemonade joins the Jackie Mercandetti Photo Adrian Galindo works his margarita magic at Bacanora. base spirits. A Frankensteined margarita gains life. Lifting the ersatz boot to your lips, you taste that the cocktail doesn’t center agave spirits, as the best margaritas tend to. Rather, the brightness and complexity of the layered citrus and the roasty vegetal quality of the peppers meld in surprising fashion, sealed by spice and smoke. The rim is batshit. Its powder is composed of salt, sugar, citric acid, garlic powder, and dehydrated chiles — a savory, delicious bridge to this pleasantly weird cocktail. “We love agave spirits in general,” Faber says. “With everything, we try to kind of push the boundaries and make everyone uncomfortable.” New-Age Favorite # 2: A Sonoran Evolution Liquid gems flow from the frosty shaker of Adrian Galindo, mixologist at Bacanora on Grand Avenue. Bacanora celebrates the food and drink of Sonora, including the agave spirit bacanora, a subcategory of mezcal ( just like tequila). Galindo provides a primer on the locally available yet largely overlooked spirit of Sonora: “It’s a little more grassy, a little sweeter than a traditional mezcal, not quite as smoke driven.” With bacanora’s personality in mind, Galindo’s uses a split base of bacanora and blanco tequila to make his “bacanorita.” “Particularly with the bacanorita, I wanted to make it as accessible as possi- ble,” he says. “All it is is a split base of ba- canora and tequila, a good triple sec… then fresh lime juice and agave nectar to sweeten.” Galindo considers these components deeply. For instance, he uses agave nectar to “bring forth agave flavors as opposed to just the sugars of the simple syrup.” The product is a “bacanorita” that considers and respects its parts, ratioing them just right. >> p 27 24 SEPT 9TH – SEPT 15TH, 2021 PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | NEWS | OPINION | FEEDBACK | CONTENTS | phoenixnewtimes.com
