Cocktail & Other Recipes By Spirit Tequila & Mezcal Cocktails

Oyster Shooter

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Liquor.com
Liquor.com

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Published 05/26/21
Oyster Shooters

Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

This shooter comes courtesy of bar star Naren Young, who until recently was the creative director at Dante in New York City and is now the creative director at Sweet Liberty in Miami. It’s “one of my favorite party tricks,” says Young, “using bright and acidic tomatillos, a close relative of the tomato most commonly used in Mexican cuisine and which are now fairly ubiquitous in the produce section of most supermarkets.”

Tomatillos may look sort of like green tomatoes, but their flavor is quite different: bright and acidic, with a hint of lemon. In this recipe, a dozen of them get juiced and the results combined with the juice of a cucumber and a half-dozen celery sticks. The vegetal mix gets spiced up with salt, pepper, green Tabasco and, most importantly, a hearty pour of mezcal. 

The shooters are perfect for brunch, afternoon gatherings or any other festive time. It’s easy to throw together; the most difficult part might be preparing the oysters. “The prep is easy, but the oysters need to be freshly shucked,” says Young.

The recipe produces enough to make at least a dozen servings. If you prefer to make it ahead of time (or if you find you’ve made too much), it keeps for up to a week in the fridge, but be sure to give it a good stir before serving.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon chili salt

  • 1 lime wedge

  • 6 stalks celery, juiced (approximately 10 ounces)

  • 1 cucumber, peeled and juiced (approximately 10 ounces)

  • 12 tomatillos, juiced (approximately 10 ounces)

  • 6 ounces mezcal

  • 3 teaspoons green Tabasco sauce

  • 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked

  • 1 teaspoon Maldon salt

  • Garnish: 12 oysters, freshly shucked

Steps

Serves 12

  1. Place the chile salt on a plate. Run a lime wedge around the rim of 12 tall shot glasses and dip the rim of each glass into the chile salt. Set aside.

  2. Add the celery, cucumber and tomatillo juices into a pitcher and stir to combine.

  3. Add the mezcal, green Tabasco, pepper and salt, and stir to combine.

  4. Divide between the shot glasses.

  5. Place a freshly shucked oyster on top of each. Eat the oyster first, then do the shot.

Mixture will keep, refrigerated, for up to a week. Stir well before serving.