If a night out at the bar can be paralleled with your mortal existence, then a cocktail is the element of life that weaves your fate. A can of beer or glass of wine can only carry a night so far. Eventually, you have to throw caution to the wind and heed the fire of the stronger spirits. Only a cocktail can inspire and invigorate a night into the realm of the extraordinary. Only a cocktail can be that wand of destiny brought to you by the unification of great, strange ingredients.
That night the wand of my destiny was in the capable hands of Erika Ordonez of Bizarre on Jefferson street. For the second week in a row, my drink was defined by a mezcal. Peloton De La Muerte mezcal is the main player in the Overnight Sensation, and its smokiness defines it.
However, the other components of the drink makes the drink a multifaceted attacking force against alcohol boredom. The Pernod absinthe comes in, a bit of mental numb ensues; then the Combier grapefruit liquor takes over, blending with the smoky mezcal, triggering the harmony of the cocktail.
Lemon juice and muddled cucumber clear out the haze of smoke, connect the milkiness of the absinthe and bring about a certain freshness to the drink. They create a light platform where the alcohol sits. As if this wasn’t enough to convince you of the multifaceted persona of the Overnight Sensation, then the carefully shaken jalapeno slices will bring the kick that will reenforce your belief in spicy cocktails.
For the agave spirit enthusiast and creator of the Overnight Sensation, Erika Ordonez, the cocktail is her kind of drink. Her cocktails are built from the bottom up, so she started with the mezcal. “I wanted a lot of texture and a lot of things going on,” said Erika, who describes the cocktail as “texturally pleasing, but not a drink you can chug.” This drink is not inspired by any classic cocktails, which is an exception to her tendency to play with classic drinks.
Destiny, fate, kismet, or whatever you might call it, is a weird concept, but I strongly believe that destiny, like a good cocktail, is woven. The components are there, all you need is the right catalyst for an adventurous night. The Overnight Sensation is the perfect Bushwick catalyst for these coming long winter nights.
Bushwick Mixer is a weekly column somewhere at the crossroads of pop culture and mixology in the bars of Bushwick. Hashtag your photos of Bushwick cocktails with #BushwickMixer and let us know why they should be tasted by the author of the column.
The Overnight Sensation is served at Bizarre, 12 Jefferson street for $12.