@Tago-Mago since you were requesting cocktail info for mezcal

Oaxacan old fashioned
1oz reposado tequila, .5oz mezcal, bar spoon agave nectar, couple dashes of mole bitters. Stir, serve over a giant rock, express oil from a flamed orange peel, and drop it on top.

Favorite mezcal cocktails

• Naked and Famous: equal parts mezcal, aperol, yellow chartruese, and lime. shake and serve up
• La Rosita (ish): 1oz reposado, .5oz ea of mezcal, campari, sweet vermouth, and dry vermouth. stir and serve as your fav negroni. This one I also reccommend grapefruit bitters or ango if you have them.
• Mezcal paloma: 2oz mezcal, .5oz ea of lime and honey syrup (or agave), and top with grapefruit soda or use grapefruit juice with soda water.

And one final one that's pretty crazy

• Bela Lugosi: 1oz ea of Fernet Branca, Mezcal, and pineapple juice and .5oz ea of lemon and agave nectar. Shake and serve up. There's a fun garnish with this too involving a caramelized sugar wheel doused with ango. (search for the video)

@Mizmazzle Congrats! I'm a recovering teacher. Now I work in higher education. I sure do miss those long vacations though

They have superior greenness over the red and yellow peppers

At risk of turning this into popular opinion…I too hate green peppers and they ruin everything they touch.

@GardenState yes!!! Yes it is!!!!
Also, that IS my happy face!! Haha. Drives my wife crazy.

@mclaincausey I guess I've given up on deep diving into gin because I don't drink gin neat and I don't need a fancy gin for a gin & tonic. Rum, whiskey, mezcal can work both in a cocktail and neat and can be distinct drinks both ways

@JoshC thanks for the recommendations! It’s a struggle for me to get better. Just when I think I’m really improving, I drop into a match with some sweats and they just smoke me. It’s very humbling (and embarrassing for my kids). The building stuff is really hard to get down, I should probably stick to zero build just to improve my basic skills. Anyway, thanks…I’m enjoying this new season with the Japanese themes!

I find gin to be more variable than many spirits because of the botanicals. One may have more juniper, another more saffron, another more citrus, etc. then you have styles of gin like old Tom that dial back the ABB and dial up the sugar.

I don’t really drink agave in cocktails very often, as I usually just sip it neat. Mezcal Negroni is popular though. Mad dog margaritas and Paloma’s where you just sub mezcal for tequila can be good, or you can use mezcal as a float to impart smokiness or whatever a particular mezcal brings.

When I try cocktails at a bar or restaurant that incorporate mezcal I tend to enjoy them, but at home I’d rather save the calories and focus on the spirit.

there is exactly one thing a green bell pepper can do better, and that's season Cuban black beans. It just doesnt taste right without it. Usually just throw a tiny whole chunk in with the beans while they simmer and then remove it. Otherwise, I 100% concur.