Oaxacan Tail

Coffee cocktails are a fun way to enjoy a dose of caffeine with your booze, and given the countless ways to combine the two beverages, there’s always an exciting concoction just around the corner. The classics stick around for a reason and include popular drinks like the Espresso Martini and Irish Coffee. But creative bartenders didn’t stop there, and over the years they’ve workshopped numerous options to help you merge liquor with coffee.

The Oaxacan Tail is a Mexican-themed cocktail that was cooked up as a brunch drink for Esters Wine Shop & Bar in Santa Monica, California. It combines two agave-based spirits—mezcal and tequila—plus amaro, cold-brew coffee and mole bitters. The amaro doesn’t just play a supporting role, as seen in many other cocktails; instead, the recipe calls for a full ounce of Foro amaro, an Italian liqueur made with 25 botanicals that balance dark bitter notes with bright citrus. If you can’t find Foro, or want to use a bottle that’s already on your shelf, you can easily substitute other amari, such as Ramazzotti, Cynar or Averna.

The Oaxacan Tail’s herbal backbone is complemented by the earthy zing of agave and a healthy 15 drops of chocolate mole bitters, plus the strong, rich cold-brew. The drink is great as is, but if you’d like to start your day (or end your night) on a slightly milder note, you can mellow the recipe with a dash of cream. In that case, you should still stir and strain the drink like usual, adding the cream as a modest topper at the end.

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