Created by Misty Kalkofen of Drink in Boston, this delicious Mezcal based cocktail is the perfect libation to sip while reading about radical lefty Mexican modernist Juan O' Gorman. With its mix of local and European spirits it's a delicious distillation of Mexico's multicultural history of Euopean colonization and indigenous civilization.
The name comes from the French intervention into Mexico in 1862 in which Napoleon III installed Archduke Maximilian as a puppet ruler of Mexico during the Mexican civil war. The US govt. was embroiled in its own civil war, and Abraham Lincoln did not want to anger the French for fear that they would back the Confederacy, so at first the US did nothing. But by 1867, the US civil war was over and the US backed Benito Juarez and the liberal Mexican forces who were already gaining ground. Napoleon III ordered a withdrawl of French troops, but a delusional Archduke Maximilian insisted on remaining behind to fight with the conservative Mexican forces. It did not go well for him...he was captured by Juarez' Mexican forces, court martialed and executed on June 19, 1867.
The Maximilian Affair
1 oz. mezcal
1 oz. St-Germain elderflower liqueur
1/2 oz. Punt e Mes
1/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
Tools: shaker, strainer
Glass: cocktail
Combine the mezcal, elderflower liqueur, Punt e Mes and lemon juice in a shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into chilled glass and garnish with a lemon twist.
Thirsty for More? Don't forget to read all about Juan O' Gorman's fabulous architecture and not so fabulous life here