The Cocktail Everyone is Drinking This Summer

If there’s one thing I took away from my recent trip to Tulum, it’s a newfound love for mezcal: the agave-based liquor is like the cool older cousin of tequila. It’s a strong, smokey, and complex liquid, perfect as a base for creative cocktails. There are tons of mezcal makers in Mexico, but my girl gang and I fell hard for GEM&BOLT during our trip. I’ll be the first to admit that the artful packaging is probably what first grabbed us, but it was the smooth drinkable quality that had us ordering round after round.

Our friend Maria Ronchi is the head bartender at Tulum’s famed Gitano restaurant, as well as a self proclaimed bruja mezcalera moderna (aka “modern mezcal magician”). She created this mezcal-based cocktail recipe during the 2016 Day Zero music festival. “For sure this cocktail was the big drinkable hit of the festival,” she says. “Created to relax and empower at the same time… BOOM!”

“Our main premise at Gitano is to SHARE HAPPINESS, something reflected in our cheerful ambiance and service, in our colorful drinks and amazing dishes,” says Maria. “This might sound weird, but yes I totally think we are helping to expand consciousness through our work, through this high frequency liquid. Sharing our passion to whoever wants to listen and taste, because my friend, mezcal is not a liquor. Mezcal is plant wisdom turned into a potion; the most complex one nature ever gave as spirit.”

Maria’s recipe calls for a few drops of damiana elixir, a traditional Mexican herb with mythological properties. (For those who don’t have access to damiana, every bottle of GEM&BOLT is infused with a bit of damiana for an extra bit of magic.)

Read below for Maria’s “Ruby Bolt” recipe, and stop by and see her at Gitano next time you’re in Tulum!