Beauty can be found when two elements come together and form a very unique union. Like two lovers during the magical moments when their spirits infuse each other to become more than than sum of their parts. In this union the two lovers are beyond ordinary. The Smoking Jacket is a love story that rises above its individual ingredients and reaches the greatness that brings together two very different groups of drinkers. Dear Bushwick, a sophisticated-casual restaurant that attracts a variety of crowds, serves the Smoking Jacket, a drink that will please anyone from a Daiquiri-lover to a peated scotch drinker.
Shane mixes the Peloton De La Muerte Mezcal into the drink.
The Smoking Jacket is a love story of a smoky mezcal and a dark and spicy house-made Chilli Stout. A fresh ginger syrup serves as the scenery, Bitterman’s Mole bitters provides the passion, and lime juice acts as the compassion that keeps the two lovers in balance. Like in a good tango, they dance around in perfect harmony. “Smoke goes right along with fire,” explains Darren Grenia, creator of the Smoking Jacket. Peloton De La Muerte is not an intense mezcal, its subtle earthy and dark notes are mixed well with the Mole bitters – an original mix of cacao, cinnamon and spices. Lastly, lime juice brings the balance in all these intense tastes, leaving its drinker satisfied with intense tastes hovering over the mind and taste buds.
A garnish of a lime twist on top of the icy jacket.
Shane, the bartender that night, first had me taste the Iron Lady, which was a jolly drink but not what I needed on a cold night in Bushwick. I went looking for something else and the mezcal spoke to me. The Smoking Jacket precisely hit the spot. This love story closed my night with tastes of smoke, fire and darkness, all of which was interestingly amplified by the dishes that Dear Bushwick’s kitchen has to offer. The coup de foudre of the Smoking Jacket’s love story was a tour de force for my night. Darren Grenia found inspiration in the space between a Daiquiri and a Dark and Stormy, and he created a deep cocktail that can be had throughout the day and the night and the year.
The author of the column as he relishes the Smoking Jacket’s love story.
On Valentine’s Day you may be tempted to get a traditionally colored pink or red cocktail, maybe some sparkling wine or prosecco, but if you really want to taste a love story then go ahead and find one in The Smoking Jacket.
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 Smoking Jacket is served at Dear Bushwick, 41 Wilson Ave for $11.
