The Palate of Indulgence
Pull up a chair, and sit yourself down. I’m going to tell you something you already know, but you need to be reminded.
If mezcals reflect the flavor, scent, and smokiness of the earth in which they are crafted, then there must be complementary tastes that can be paired with each mezcal. In the same way that, for instance, various grapes grown in Oregon share a familiar flavor profile because of the soil, weather, latitude, altitudes, and environment, so do the distant varietals of grapes throughout southern France. In consequence, Oregon wines have a distinct flavor palate, as do the ones from southern France.
The same applies to the flavors of southern Mexico. When pairing mezcal, the two perfect complements are coffee and chocolate.
There is nothing as tantalizing as a cup of strong Mexican coffee or hot Mexican chocolate that is spiked with mezcal. Oh right, it’s possible to overdose on caffeine, but what a way to go! You probably caught wind of this dilemma while contemplating the high alcohol content in your favorite mezcal, and the idea of pairing it with coffee or caffeine might be demasiado—Spanish for too much.
Let’s forgo the notion that excess is a sin when it comes to mezcal, coffee, and chocolate. That’s like saying there’s such a thing as being too cool, or too camp, or that the vibe can be too laid back. But one of the virtues of being cool and camp and laid back is that you have the luxury of being cool and camp and laid back precisely because someone else has done the research for you.
That’s where I come in. I have saved you the hassle of crisscrossing Oaxaca, logging in at 2,836 miles, and sampling 176 mezcals to present to you a selection of the best of the best. I’ll do the same thing when it comes to sampling coffees and chocolates and just tell you which coffee and chocolate—Thanks be to God the Merciful—are available in the United States with which to pair a delectable mezcal.
Coffee: El Eden Organic Coffee is 100 percent Oaxaca Pluma Altura, and it is sublime. Its intense, sweet aroma and smooth flavor is perfectly paired with mezcal. Pour mezcal into an espresso, or even a strong brew of drip coffee, and you will overwhelm your senses with pure joy. This is the kind of coffee so rich, the aroma itself perks you up. The preferred way of preparing is to pour the mezcal into the coffee or espresso cup first, then into the coffee and to stir gently. Some prefer to hyper-caffeinate the beverage further by adding a touch of cacao liqueur.
Chocolate: Ki’ Xocolatl Criollo Chocolate is made from 100 percent Criollo beans, organic. Better than bean-to-bar, this is tree-to-bar, since the artisans who make this gourmet chocolate have their own cacao groves where they grow the ingredients. What makes this chocolate so special? That it’s made with 100 percent Criollo beans, first and foremost. And that it’s grown among in cacao groves perfectly attended for quality control. Pour mezcal into a cup of hot chocolate, and it is like discovering something for the first time. Enjoy some of the dark or dark chocolate with spices, and it is sure to lead to multiple orgasms.
El Eden coffee and Ki’ Xocolatl are available at select gourmet shops throughout the U.S. If your favorite shop doesn’t carry these products, perhaps you should be shopping elsewhere? That aside, El Eden can be ordered from www.eledencoffee.com and Ki’ Xocolatl is available from the gourmet Amazon.com’s Gourmet Food department, or from www.mexican-chocolate.com.
A note on Kahlúa. Here is an observation freely offered, so please take note: Any drink that calls for Kahlúa can be fortified with a shot of mezcal. Ice cream can be enriched with a shot of Kahlúa and mezcal. Your sex life can become messier in all the right ways with mezcal. I will leave it at that.
Excerpted from Mezcal: Under the Spell of Firewater, available on Amazon.com
Leave a Reply