The folks at Milagro Modern Mexican continue to differentiate themselves from other south-of-the-border food establishments in town. They’ve impressed us since day one with authentic eats, and now it’s the drink menu that beckons us back. Two specialty cocktails at the upscale restaurant in Webster Groves get high marks, and both feature standout house-made tequila infusions.
El Diablo is a piccante margarita that gets its heat from habañero infused in Sauza tequila blanco. Just 48 hours is all it took to give the capsicum time to fire up that tequila. The addition of blood orange purée, a house-made limonada mix of agave nectar, lime juice, water, sugar, one ounce of Gran Gala orange liqueur, a smoked Chipotle chile salt rim and an orange wheel garnish turn this cocktail into one tasty little devil.
What to do with hibiscus-infused tequila? Put it in the Paloma, directed owner Adam Tilford. A variation on the popular Mexican cocktail that calls for tequila blanco, a grapefruit-esque soda like Jarritos or Fresca (or grapefruit juice and club soda) and lime juice, Milagro’s Paloma Rosa, translated as “pink dove,” is a combination of fragrant hibiscus-infused tequila, Fresca and lime juice served in a tall glass and garnished with a wedge of lime. Not a fan of margs but like tequila? The Paloma brings out the best in this hibiscus-infused spirit without a single drop of Triple Sec.
If you’re the type that prefers your tequila neat, Milagro recently began offering tequila flights, vertical and horizontal, starting at $13.
This article appears in January 2011.