Tequila Carrot Cooler

Cover Image for Tequila Carrot Cooler
PHOTO: Taylor Anderson

Ingredients

  • tequila
  • mezcal
  • carrot-ginger-mango juice
  • lemon juice
  • simple syrup
  • aromatic bitters

On a very shitty, wet Chicago Saturday afternoon, I stopped in at Bad Hunter, which was (RIP) a "veggie-forward" restaurant in West Loop. The vibes were right. It reminded me of a cute, little greenhouse with its abundance of plants, large industrial windows, and bright and earthy-toned decor. Stepping in there that day really was a treat. Their cocktails followed the veggie-forward theme so you would find cocktails made with seasonal fruits and vegetables and botanicals. The cocktail that stood out to me the most was their carrot juice cocktail. It was a fresh yet complex-tasting mix of tequila, carrot, pineapple, Jamaican jerk bitters, and banana liqueur. It was fire, y'all.

Here's my own little version of it, using a mix of tequila, mezcal, and carrot-mango-ginger juice.

The Recipe

  • 1 ½ oz reposado tequila
  • ½ oz mezcal
  • 1 ½ oz carrot-ginger-mango juice
  • ½ oz lemon juice
  • ½ oz simple syrup
  • 1 dash of Bittermens ‘Elemakule Tiki Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Carrot Ginger Mango Juice

I usually make my juices in a blender and just strain them because juicers can be a pain sometimes. So, to make the carrot-ginger-mango juice with a blender, put two peeled chopped carrots, one cup of chopped mango, one 1-inch nob of peeled ginger, and juice from half a lemon in the blender. Blend until smooth then strain into a bowl using a cheesecloth or fine-mesh strainer.