Global Lassi

Origin:

So this cocktail goes way back for inspiration. My first experience with Indian food came from the venerable mango lassi at a guy named Swami's Indian restaurant. In a strange twist, he also owned a Mexican restaurant that connected to the aforementioned Indian restaurant. So one day I was at the Mexican spot enjoying some tacos and a margarita, as one does, and suddenly had the craving for a mango lassi. In a twist of fate, a sip of margarita followed a sip of mango lassi and my baby bartender mind was absolutely blown. Full disclosure, at this point we were in the dark ages of sour mix and badly made overly sweet cosmopolitans in a mid-tier market midwest town, so by no means was this what I would now consider mind-blowing, but the memory still rings in my mind and laid the groundwork on which to build this margarita. Sometimes it's these very formative memories, as basic as they may be, and use them along with knowledge acquired along the way to create something truly special.

So building on that I wanted to translate the idea of mango lassi meets margarita into a cohesive cocktail concept. It needed to be something lighter and more delicate, something that paid more of a true tribute to the margarita as a cocktail. Cool, so Patrón silver, lime, mango, and yogurt, that's the base idea, and a good jumping-off point. On top of that, I wanted something to add a little more dimension to it, and the first thing that came to mind is the maracuya, or passion fruit juice my fiance turned me on to and one of the key flavor memories of her Peruvian childhood, and passion fruit liqueur is a perfect pair against mango and tequila, and makes a logical sub for the ubiquitous orange liqueur, perfect, but what else did it need? There were those sense memories of the Indian/Mexican restaurant combo, so naturally, it has to be garam masala! Radiant, fragrant, and laden with a depth of flavor, plus makes a perfect rim for it, so check! It's close at this point, and there's an obvious missing component, a little heat! Some muddled jalapeño seals the deal, while not being overbearing since it's tempered by the sweet mango and cooling yogurt.

But not only is the cocktail delicious as a whole, but it also embodies flavors of numerous global cultures and flavors that have had a profound influence on me as not just a bartender, but as a person as well. We're all part of a global community and just as we as humans come together and share our existence and culture, we also share ingredients and flavors. Our horizons are broadened, along with our palates and flavor vocabulary, enabling us to create things that embrace the flavors and people of the world, like this, the "Global Lassi." Something that's still true to the tart and refreshing margarita as a concept, but with a warm global embrace.