When in Doubt, Mix it Out

By: Ben Lomax Photos by: Rachel Benavides

We’ve all been spending a significant amount of time inside our abodes these days, and working from home for us entails experimenting with new drinks! We aren’t quite sure whether both or either will make it onto the BUS menu when we open up our doors, but here are a couple of my favorites I’ve come up with.

The first cocktail is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. It’s a brunch libation that’s as well suited for a Sunday morning as a Margarita is for a Saturday afternoon. The name is a nod to a late-19th-century tradition in which the same single sandwich was recycled, served with every cocktail, to get around the Raines Law – which forbade serving drinks without food on a Sunday. It’s spicy and briny, and a cure for what ails ya. 

Cocktail Recipes:

Raines Sandwich
Makes 1 Drink
1 oz Ancho Reyes Verde poblano liqueur
1/2 oz Cointreau or other orange liqueur
1/2 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
2 oz fresh celery juice
Pinch of kosher salt

Directions 
Shake all ingredients on ice and strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. Garnish with orange slice. 

This second drink has a tropical vibe and a refreshing taste for the hotter days. I’ve been playing around a lot with Sotol lately; the sotol plant is very different from the agave, but the liquor seems to play well with the same sort of ingredients as the agave liquors. It’s less smoky and more vegetal than a mezcal, and it can be found and distilled in Texas as well as Northern Mexico.