31 Jan Maximilian Affair Cocktail Recipe
Maximilian Affair Cocktail Recipe
A couple of weeks ago, when we used the Maximilian Affair in our glass rinsing experiment, we realized to our great shock that we’ve never posted its recipe. It’s one of our all-time favorite drinks, even making it on to our wedding menu, and we’ve mentioned here and there; but we’ve never passed the recipe along. It’s high time we correct that oversight.
As we mentioned in our El Presidente post, we first ran across the Max (as we like to call it) at Boston’s Drink. It probably made it into Drink’s repertoire when its creator, Misty Kalkofen, made her stop there on her tour through several of Boston’s best bars. We discovered it when our friend Alex asked for a tequila drink that doesn’t taste at all like a margarita.
In the original recipe, it’s actually made with mezcal, of which Kalkofen was an enthusiast long before it became the all the rage and even before most people had heard of it. It works well with either mezcal or tequila. We like a bit of smokiness, but only a bit. So, we tend to make it with tequila and a mezcal rinse. Thank goodness we do, or we might never have noticed that we hadn’t yet shared the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 oz mezcal, or tequila, or tequila with a mezcal rinse if you’re like us
- 1 oz St. Germain
- 1/2 oz Punt e Mes–you can use another sweet vermouth if you must, but Punt e Mes’ unique, bitter edge makes a difference
- 1/4 oz lemon juice
- lemon twist, for garnish
Instructions
- (Swirl a bit of mezcal around the inside of the glass and discard the remains, if you’re going the mezcal rinse route.)
- Shake the liquid ingredients with ice for about 20 seconds.
- Strain into a cocktail glass.
- Garnish with the lemon twist.
