Bites & Bebidas
Bites
Halibut Aguachile
- 1 lb fresh halibut
- Juice from 6–10 limes
- 2–3 jalapeños or serranos, or a mix (depending on heat preference)
- 1 large bunch cilantro
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced and cut into 1-inch pieces
- Tostadas or tortilla chips
- Salt
Cut the halibut into small chunks and place into a glass container. In a food processor, pulse the chili peppers, cilantro, and juice from 4–5 limes until smooth. Pour the mixture over the halibut. Add in the thinly sliced red onions. Add additional lime juice until all the mixture is covered in the sauce. Let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Remove from fridge, add salt to taste and stir. Serve with chips or tostadas and your favorite Mexican hot sauce on the side.
Aguachile is ceviche's punchier cousin: the seafood still gets "cooked" in citrus, but the juice is blended with fresh chiles first, so the acid comes with heat built right in instead of separately.
This version blitzes chiles, cilantro, and lime into one bright green sauce, pours it straight over halibut, and lets it sit just thirty minutes, turning the mild, firm fish tender and citrus-bright, with red onion for additional bite. Same Sinaloa-style technique, built around local halibut.
Esquite Salad
- 6 ears corn
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 jalapeño, minced
- ½ red onion, small dice
- 1–2 limes
- Cotija cheese
- Mayonnaise
- Tajín
Shuck the corn and grill over high heat until charred on all sides. Let cool, then cut the kernels from the cob and transfer to a large bowl. Add the cilantro, jalapeño, and red onion. Fold in 2–3 tablespoons of mayonnaise and about 2 oz of crumbled cotija, then squeeze in the juice of one lime. Season generously with Tajín. Taste and adjust — more lime for brightness, more cotija for salt, more Tajín for heat — until it feels right. Refrigerate to let the flavors meld. Cold dulls seasoning, so taste again straight from the fridge before serving — lime, Tajín, and cotija often need a touch more.
Elote is Mexican street corn at its most elemental: a whole cob, still hot off the grill, slathered in mayonnaise, rolled in cotija, dusted with chili powder, and finished with a squeeze of lime. It's messy, unapologetic, and almost impossible to eat gracefully.
Esquite is the same idea liberated from the cob. The kernels get cut off, tossed in a cup or bowl, and dressed the same way — which means you get all the flavor without the structural chaos. This version leans into that salad spirit: red onion for crunch, fresh jalapeño for heat, and cilantro to keep it bright. The char from the grill is non-negotiable.
Tequila & Mezcal
Tequila Eastside
- 5 cucumber slices
- 5–6 mint leaves
- 1 oz lime juice
- ¾ oz simple syrup (or agave syrup diluted 1:1 with water)
- 1½ oz tequila blanco
Add cucumber and mint to shaker and muddle. Add lime juice, simple syrup, and tequila. Add ice and shake. Strain over ice into a rocks glass.
Tequila Limeade
- Cilantro
- 2 wheels fresh jalapeño
- ½ oz light agave nectar
- 1½ oz blanco tequila
- ¾ oz lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 oz soda water
Add agave nectar, 8–10 cilantro leaves, and jalapeño slices to a shaker and muddle gently. Add tequila, lime juice, and ice, and shake until well-chilled. Double-strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with soda water. Garnish with a cilantro sprig.
El Pepino
- 2 ¼-inch wheels cucumber
- 2 ¼-inch wheels fresh jalapeño
- 1½ oz blanco tequila
- ¾ oz agave syrup
- 1 oz lime juice, freshly squeezed
- Tajín for garnish
Add cucumber, jalapeño, and tequila to a shaker and muddle for 10 seconds until fully pulverized. Add agave syrup and lime juice, fill with ice, and shake for 15–20 seconds until well-chilled. Double-strain through a fine mesh strainer into a Tajín-rimmed rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a cucumber slice and a pinch of Tajín (or salt).
Augie March
- 2 oz reposado tequila
- ¾ oz sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica)
- ½ oz Cynar
- Luxardo cherry for garnish
Add tequila, vermouth, and Cynar to a stirring pitcher. Add ice and stir to dilute and chill. Strain into a coupe. Garnish with a Luxardo cherry.
Upgraded Ranch Water
- 2 oz blanco tequila
- ¾ oz sweet vermouth
- ½ oz lime juice
- Topo Chico, Mineragua, or other mineral seltzer
Rim glass with salt. Add lime juice, tequila, and a large ice cube. Top with soda water, then float the sweet vermouth.
Saladito
- 2 oz mezcal (Del Maguey Vida)
- ¾ oz lime juice
- ¾ oz honey syrup
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of cayenne
Add lime juice, honey syrup, and mezcal to a shaker. Add ice and shake. Strain into a coupe.
Rosalita
- 2 oz reposado tequila
- ¾ oz lime juice
- ¾ oz agave syrup
- ½ oz Amaro Montenegro
Add tequila, lime juice, agave syrup, and Amaro Montenegro to a shaker. Add ice and shake. Strain into a salt-rimmed glass.
Eau de Lavender
- 1½ oz blanco tequila
- ¾ oz honey syrup
- ¾ oz lemon juice
- 1 egg white (or 4–6 dashes foamer)
- 2 dashes lavender bitters
Add tequila, honey syrup, lemon juice, lavender bitters, and foamer to shaker. Add ice and shake. Using egg white: dry shake everything first, then add egg white and ice and shake again. Strain into a coupe. Garnish with lemon peel.
Tequila Old Fashioned
- 2 oz reposado tequila
- ¼ oz agave nectar
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 dash mole or chocolate bitters
Add tequila, agave nectar, and bitters to a mixing glass. Add ice and stir until well chilled. Strain over a big rock. Express an orange peel.
Gin
Lavender Bee's Knees
- 2 oz gin
- ¾ oz honey syrup
- ¾ oz lemon juice
- Lavender bitters
Add all to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain.
Gin Eyre
- 2 oz gin
- 1 oz lemon juice
- ½ oz Cointreau
- ½ oz simple syrup
- Orange bitters
- Fresh mint leaves
Add orange bitters, a pinch of mint, and all other ingredients to shaker. Muddle lightly. Shake. Strain into a coupe. Garnish with mint leaf and, if desired, a spritz of orange peel.
1934 Cosmopolitan
- 2 oz gin (Beefeater)
- ¾ oz Cointreau
- ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
- ½ oz raspberry syrup
Add gin, Cointreau, lemon juice, and raspberry syrup to shaker. Pack full with ice and shake hard. Double strain into a coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.
The original pre-modern cosmo — gin, not vodka. A full shaker of ice is critical; insufficient ice causes it to split.
Cucumber Collins
- 2 oz gin
- 1 oz lemon or lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 4–5 cucumber slices
- Club soda
- Mint sprig or basil leaf for garnish
In the bottom of a shaker, muddle cucumber slices, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Add gin and ice and shake. Strain over fresh ice into a Collins glass, then top with soda. Garnish with the mint sprig.
Southside
- 2 oz London Dry gin
- ¾ oz lime juice, freshly squeezed
- ¾ oz lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 10 fresh mint leaves
- 1 oz cold club soda
- Mint sprig for garnish
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add gin, lime, lemon, simple syrup, and mint leaves. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled glass and top with soda water. Garnish with mint sprig.
Bourbon
Porch Swing
- 2 oz Knob Creek bourbon
- ¾ oz Cynar
- ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
- ¾ oz raspberry syrup
Add bourbon, Cynar, lemon juice, and raspberry syrup to shaker. Pack with ice and shake hard. Double strain into a coupe or over a big rock. Garnish with a lemon twist or raspberries.
Cynar brings earthy bitterness that plays well with Knob Creek's rye spice.
Amaro Manhattan
- 2 oz Rittenhouse rye
- 1 oz Averna (in place of sweet vermouth)
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 dash orange bitters
Add rye, Averna, and bitters to mixing glass. Add ice and stir until well chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe or Nick & Nora. Garnish with a Luxardo cherry.