Advocate Cocktail Series #4: Calle Ocho (Trending Up)

This week, as we prepare for the new year while simultaneously getting bombarded by 2015 round-ups and “best ofs”, I’ve been contemplating why we feel the need to distill an entire year into a few bullet points that will inevitably define much of what we remember. The only conclusion I could draw was that it creates a mental bookmark, so in twenty years when we see someone drinking a mezcal margarita with half of their head shaved we can remark “that’s so 2015”.

I recently read an article highlighting 6 predicted cocktail trends of 2016; and while I put little stock in gazing into a crystal ball, two of the six jumped out as they pertain directly to our NYE cocktail, the Calle Ocho. Obscure Mexican spirits, and a re-embracing of mainstream liquors are apparently on bartenders’ minds for the coming year, and I am delighted. It used to be that, when creating a cocktail menu, bartenders would include one outlier, the weird drink designed solely for the 400 level imbiber. We’re now in a time when the mezcal offering on our menu outsells its vodka counterpart three to one, and my dad is ordering bacanora old fashioneds when we go out. We have officially embraced agave nationwide, and it transcends just those in the know with ironic mustaches and vintage suspenders.

At some point along the way, as folks began to take cocktails seriously, the cosmo became uncool, and with it went Midori melon liqueur, St. Germain and pretty much anything blue. St. Germain is an elderflower cordial that has been called “bartender’s ketchup” as you can pour it on anything and generally make it taste better. Despite its detractors, I have made a point to proudly display it on menus throughout its prolonged period of uncoolness; and this is by no means a subtle dig at cocktail snobbery - I just think it’s delicious. If the cocktail crystal ball is right, 2016 should be a fun year; I look forward to less obscure, herbal bitters and more approachable, delicious drinks.

The Calle Ocho was originally created for the brunch menu as the lone sparkling offering, but we always had plans to bring it into the dinner rotation, and New Year’s Eve seemed like the perfect time to drop it as both occasions call for bubbles. Another trend we saw gain steam this year was a return to classics and riffs on long-standing recipes. The Calle Ocho is just that: built on the platform of an Old Cuban cocktail comprised of rum, mint, lime, sugar, bitters and sparkling wine - simply substituting a blend of mezcal and elderflower for rum and adding ginger for brightness. The drink takes its name from a Miami neighborhood dubbed “Little Havana”, paying homage to its classic cocktail origin. This New Year’s Eve, whether reflecting back or looking forward, come raise a Calle Ocho with us and toast to 2015.

Matthew McKinley Campbell