Calabaza is a pumpkin like squash that is a late fall / winter staple for many Latine and indigenous communities. Carolina Gonzalez, Beverage Manager/Mixologist at WoodWind in Chicago, has created the Calabaza en Tacha which is a traditional Mexican dish that is a sweet and candied for the season. She explains, “The Calabaza en Tacha cocktail was inspired by the humble dish, of the same name, that I grew up eating in celebration of the Day of the Dead. Transforming this dish into a cocktail gives the beverage a buttery silky mouth-feel, followed by hints of the sweet pumpkin notes.”
Calabaza en Tacha Recipe & Build Instructions
Cocktail Recipe (makes one cocktail)
- 1.5oz Brown butter dry rum
- 1.5oz Pumpkin infused rum
- 1 dash of black walnut bitters
Combine ingredients and stir lightly to get the desire temperature *note do not over stir
as it will dilute the fat content. Pour into a Nick & Nora glass and garnish with some pepita brittle or a marigold!
Brown Butter Fat Wash (batch recipe)
1,362g of butter
20g cinnamon sticks
3-cloves
1-star of anisé
4-allspice
453g of brown sugar
2L- Dry Rum
1. Mix all ingredients (excluding the rum) well until dissolved on medium heat. Remove
from heat and set to the side to cool down.
2. Once butter has cooled down enough to not cook the spirit, add the 2L of dry rum.
3. Place in container, seal, and store in a cooler overnight.
4. To start the filtration process, remove blocks of butter from the mix. Next, strain the
leftover mix to remove all baking spices and remaining clumps of butter. Finally, run the
mix through a coffee filter so your final product becomes clear brown, with no sediment.
Pumpkin Infusion (batch recipe)
1- Small size pumpkin
1L- Sevilla orange cask rum
1. Remove pumpkin seeds and clean the endocarp (inside the pumpkin) as well as skin of
the pumpkin
2. Cut pumpkin into small pieces and lightly cook on medium heat for easier infusion.
3. Add the rum, seal and store for 24hrs.
4. Strain infusion.
WoodWind Chicago Details
259 E Erie Street 18th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611
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