Mike's Mix: Icehouse's Mad Monk Margarita

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Each Saturday, Mike Augustyniak takes a look at the local cocktail scene in the Twin Cities. This week, he's checking out a spicy twist on a traditional margarita from Icehouse in Minneapolis.

Mad Monk

2 oz reposado tequila
½ oz Cocchi Americano
½ oz Green (or yellow) Chartreuse
½ oz water
1 ½ oz lime sour *
1 ½ oz ginger syrup **

*To make lime sour, combine equal parts of fresh lime juice and simple syrup to make 1 ½ oz

(credit: CBS)

**To make ginger syrup, combine equal parts of ginger juice (available in stores) and simple syrup to make 1 ½ oz; or, use 1 ½ oz strong, spicy, ginger beer.

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and shake over ice. Strain into an iced low ball glass that has a smoked salt rim. Squeeze a lime wedge over top, and garnish with a lime wheel.

Taste Test

This recipe is a spicy, herbal riff on a traditional margarita. "Out" is orange liqueur; "in" is cinchona-tinged vermouth and a complex, earthy liqueur originating from monks -- hence the name. Ginger syrup adds both spice and sweetness, and smoked salt (available in specialty grocers) adds to the nose. Perfect for any season, this drink is one of my favorite in the history of Mike's Mix.

Icehouse is a chef-driven restaurant, bar and live music venue located inside a turn-of-the-century industrial-chic space that was once home to the Cedar Lake Ice Company, and 75,000 tons of lake ice harvested annually.