Head to Bar Centro at The Bazaar for the Smokey Flora Cocktail

As summer heats up, we are loving the spicy flavors in the Smokey Flora cocktail at Bar Centro at The Bazaar by José Andrés (it’s true, a little spice can cool you off on a super sweaty day). Created by Miguel Lancha, cocktail innovator for ThinkFoodGroup, the Smokey Flora blends mezcal, grapefruit, yellow chartreuse and lemon juice for a tasty twist on the classic Last Word cocktail.

“The inspiration behind this cocktail comes from wanting to pay homage to the less visited classic cocktails,” explains Bar Centro’s head bartender Billy Yoder of this concoction. “It is similar to the layout of the Last Word cocktail, in that there are 4 ingredients all used in the same measure.”

To give guests a twist, he wanted to add something that could completely change the drink if they chose to do so: mezcal.

“Mezcal is very popular in the cocktail culture nowadays, but its one of those spirits that you either love or you hate,” Yoder continues. “There really is no in between. We wanted this cocktail to play well with people who love mezcal, and also offer an introduction into the world of mezcal for those who claim to hate it.”

Taking the summertime season into consideration, Yoder blended bright citrus flavor from lemons with sweet, herbaceous and floral components from Pampelmousse and yellow chartreuse. “These ingredients, used in equal proportion, blend together a floral and smoke driven cocktail with a touch of herbaceous acidity that will leave your palate drenched in decadent flavor,” he says. “For the kick at the end, we add a half rim of cayenne sea salt, for those adventurous enough to up the ante and add in a spicy element to the drink.”

The Smokey Flora drink recipe

Smokey Flora Recipe and Preparation

1 oz. Vago mezcal
1 oz. grapefruit juice
1 oz. lemon juice
1 oz. Yellow Chartreuse

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker and shake vigorously with ice. Fine strain into a chilled coupe glass with a cayenne salt rim and 1 mist rose water.