A new cocktail menu debuted last week at Milagro Modern Mexican in Webster Groves. Among the five mixed drinks recently created by bar manager Lawrence Ballard, three caught my attention for their creative use of products typical of the Southwestern U.S.
Not for the feint of heart, Amante Picante is a fiery spin on a margarita that involves a combination of jalapeño-infused tequila, lime juice, agave nectar, and muddled cucumber, cilantro and green chile sauce. Like many green chile salsas and sauces dished out in New Mexico, Amante Picante is so picante, it will make you sweat. It’s so good, though, that you’ll keep on punishing yourself until every blazing drop is gone. (And then you’ll move on to the grilled jalapeño garnish.)
If you like flavored vodka, you’ll need no convincing to order La Pera. I was pleasantly surprised at the light mouth feel of this pear vodka-based drink since I expected the addition of St. Germain elderflower liqueur and house-made pear simple syrup to weigh things down. The key: a float of crisp Gruet brut, the flagship sparkling wine by the notable New Mexican winery.
Sonora Pass (pictured), a reference to the highway that passes through the Sierra Nevada mountain range, is a mix of gin, white grapefruit juice and sage simple syrup garnished with a flash-fried sage leaf. This light, refreshing drink is a fun nod to the juniper and pine trees, as well as the abundance of sage, that dot the region.
Ballard recently joined the Webster Groves restaurant after stints at The Tavern Kitchen & Bar and EdgeWild Restaurant & Winery in Chesterfield. It’s clear that Milagro’s new bar manager is giving careful thought to the ingredients – green chiles, Gruet wine, agave, sage, mint, lime – at his disposal, with the goal of aligning the drinks with the restaurant’s concept as a modern Mexican restaurant. So far, the results are tasty.
This article appears in August 2012.