Greenhorn

Midori and blanco tequila are two ingredients that don’t often star in stirred drinks, and even less often together. At his Houston bar Refuge, bartender and owner Bobby Heugel combines the bright-green melon liqueur and a high-quality Highlands tequila expression with bittersweet aperitif Suze for a fruit-forward and gently bitter drink. Garnished with a neon-green cherry, it’s a serious cocktail that doesn’t take itself too seriously. 

Heugel says he was inspired by one of his favorite flavor combinations: agave spirits and melons. Although Midori is often associated with saccharine-sweet Midori Sours, Heugel stresses that the melon liqueur is a quality product that should be respected and used properly. “People forget that Midori is incredibly well-made,” he says. “It just has a rap because of its bright green dyed color, but it’s no different from how Campari is dyed these days.” 

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For the drink’s blanco tequila base, Heugel opts for El Tesoro, an agave-forward Highlands expression with prominent floral and fruity notes that are reflective of the Jalisco terroir. El Tesora employs several traditional tequila processes that many modern-day distilleries have industrialized, such as the tahona, or stone wheel used to crush agave hearts. While you can swap in another blanco tequila, keep in mind that quality is paramount in a spirit-forward drink like this.

Once you have the ingredients on hand, the Greenhorn is easy to construct. “I wanted to make a drink that people could order for a decade,” Heugel says. “I also like the idea that people can make this cocktail at home and at other bars.”