The summer drinking continues, this time at Rosaliné, the Peruvian restaurant in West Hollywood, where mixologist Jeremy Lake gets creative behind the bar. Case in point: the Quita Calzon cocktail, his version of the classic caipirinha cocktail but with coconut water (how very LA) and gooseberry syrup.
“I wanted to utilize gooseberries, which a lot of people in Los Angeles are unfamiliar with, but taste and look great,” says Lake. “I also wanted to integrate the idea of “healthy and fresh” so, I riffed off of a classic caipirinha cocktail, adding coconut water and substituting simple syrup with gooseberry syrup.”
The garnish is the leftover husk or calyx of the berr, he continues, which “looks really interesting and adds to the festive and refreshing nature of the cocktail.”
“The drink itself is complex and balanced, with a name that is fun and slightly cheeky. The juxtaposition of those elements fits the atmosphere of Rosaliné perfectly. Also, the smoke and vegetal quality of mezcal match the other ingredients and add a complexity that that a traditional caipirinha lacks.”
Quita Calzon recipe and preparation
- 1.5 oz. El Silencio Mezcal
- 6 pieces Lime
- 4 pieces Gooseberry
- 1 oz Coconut Water
- .5 oz. Gooseberry Syrup (make simple syrup with mashed gooseberries, blend, refrigerate)
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Muddle lime and gooseberries. Fill shaker with ice, shake and dump cocktail with ice into a rocks glass. Garnish with a gooseberry calyx.
Rosaliné details
8479 Melrose Ave., 323-297-9500, rosalinela.com, @rosaline.la
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