This one is sure to be an award winner:

Set up two rocks glasses on the bar

Add ice to one glass as well as ½ oz Pernod

In the second glass, add ½ teaspoon sugar

¼ oz BitterCube Bolivar Bitters

1 dash Peychauds bitters

1 ½ oz Sotol

Dump ice and Pernod mixture, leaving a few drops of Pernod in the glass

Transfer contents of the Sotol glass back and forth several times until sugar has dissolved

Garnish with a thick-cut slice of lemon peel

Beyond belief!

Here are And’y closing remarks on these two new cocktails:

These cocktails represent only the beginning of the potential cocktail portfolio that can be built around sotol.  In particular, these recipes were designed so that amateur bartenders with the proper ingredients can execute them easily at home.  No special techniques or equipment is necessary to put together the cocktails above.

I hope this starts you on your journey toward a world of sotol cocktails.

Sincerely,

Andy

But soon Andy disappeared in the back and out came two creations. The first I will call “Andy’s Sotol #1″ and the second “Andy’s Sotol #2″. I will leave the naming to him later.

Here is Andy’s intro to these creations:

The following cocktails were crafted on-the-fly to enhance but not overpower the intrinsic characteristics of sotol.  I sought to engage both ends of the cocktail spectrum by incorporating a sweeter, fruity flavor profile in one of the cocktails as well as a stronger, spirit-based profile in the second.  What you’ll find is that the proportions let the sotol shine while taking two radically different detours into new flavor territories.

So here is #1:

In a cocktail shaker:

Muddle 4 fresh strawberries

Add: 1 ½ oz Sotol

1oz Aperol

1/2oz St. Germain

1 scant squeeze fresh orange juice…about ¼ oz

Add ice and stir

Strain through a fine strainer

You can see photos of these drinks – and of Andy- at our Copper Canyon Trip site.

The next one- #2 – will follow.

Paco with his hamburger creation.

This guy Paco recently opened a cafe at the Pemex staion on the bypass in Nuevo Casas Grandes.

I love his enchiladas, soups, etc.

But by far one of the best is his hamburgers- the chili sauce on top is to die for!

This one is going to be a regular stop on The Blue Corn Express in Copper Canyon!

Here are some images of this incredible area:

Fresh pomegranates...yummmm!Apple orchards in May with netting ready to protect from hail.

Apples are for sale everywhere...here by Tarahumara at San Rafael from the train.

There were several special guests there:

Richard Fisher, Copper Canyon photographer, explorer, and author of Copper Canyon, Mexico.

Dave Hensleigh and Richard Fisher at Casa de Nopal, Casas Grandes

Also Patrocinio Lopez, the premier violin maker in Copper Canyon was there as well as three of his daughters.

Patrocinio with his daughters checking out a new laptop given for the education,

And of course, our friend, Spencer MacCallum.

Richard Fisher visiting with Spencer MacCallum at Casa de Nopal.

Check the itinerary here.

Anyway, Titas is right on the main drag and the food (especially this spicy creation) and the environment (yes there is fresh fruit available almost any season) are genuine Sierra Madre.

Dave Hensleigh presenting Chef Sol with a "Blue Corn Express" banner at Noritari.

It is hard to describe Sol’s approach to food. She is original …her dishes are delicate and flavorful…yet she maintains that hearty cowwboy angle that the Sierra Madres are known for. You never go away hungry

There is always something special- amaranth seeds, pickled watermelon rind, and always a nice bottle of wine. We even had breakfast salads- delicious!

Local pottery adorns the grounds at Noritari.

Noritariis such a lovely place- cabins spread through a pine wooded area with a stream running through it- people love this place. There is good hiking on the grounds, warm cozy firplaces in each room- and the whole place is solar.

The quiet, the smells, the gracious Mexican hospitality…enchanting.

"The Blue Corn Express"- the first and only culinary trip to Copper Canyon.

The next “Blue Corn Express” culinary trip to Copper Canyon is coming in April, 2011…welcome aboard!

Combine 4-6oz of Fresca with 1-2 oz of a Sotol (likeDon Cuco Suave) and hit it with a squeeze of lime.

Serve over ice…and perhaps with a splash of tonic water on a hot day.

Chef Sol at Noritari with her morning crop of flor de calabacitas.

So we enjoyed several creative delicacies there. But easily one of the most memorable came first thing in the morning- her coffee!

We stood waking up in her kitchen as she sing-songed along about food (it’s all about aroma and flavor) as she cooked up a big open pot of coffee.

She used 1/2 hunk of piloncillo, some sticks of cinnamon (canela) boiled for awhile in water, then with the heat off she added a cup or so of coffee and let it sit as we talked. Then she strained it and served it steamy….so good!

Peaceful Noritari in the pines above San Juanito, Copper Canyon, Mexico.