Hold up. Drop your Thanksgiving tchotchkes. Pause the Christmas music. Just because Halloween has come and gone doesn’t mean your ghosts and goblins should be put to rest quite yet. Today and tomorrow signify the Day of the Dead! Most largely celebrated in Mexico with roots dating back to the Aztecs, Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is a celebration and remembrance of deceased loved ones.
{Left: Smoke & Mirrors, featuring Del Maguey Vida mezcal, Stirrings triple sec, lime and agave nectar. Right: El Diablo, featuring El Ultimo blanco, Mathilde cassis, agave nectar, lime and house-made ginger beer}
If you can’t hop a plane to Oaxaca tonight (to get a true Day of the Dead experience), we suggest checking out Diablitos Cantina. Not only is the Mexican restaurant, located at 3761 Laclede Ave., decked out in Day of the Dead paraphernalia all year long, it is also debuting a new, delicious cocktail menu.
{Left: Pepinojito, featuring Don Julio blanco, muddled cucumber, lime, Peychaud bitters, mint and basil sugar. Right: Mexican Mule, featuring jalapeño-infused Espolon blanco, lime, sugar, Angostura bitters and house-made ginger beer}
Although the new menu doesn’t officially debut until Monday, any of the new cocktails can be served this weekend if you ask. The cocktail menu, which used to be much longer, has been painstakingly narrowed down to just nine drinks. “It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality,” said Blake Riley, bar manager at Diablitos. Over the last few months, Riley and staff tested countless cocktails, experimented with a bunch of house-made syrups, and finally decided on what he considers nine truly outstanding drinks.
We can’t help but agree.
{Poison, featuring Del Maguey Vida mezcal, muddled jalapeño, lime and cinnamon sugar}
–Photos by Michelle Volanksy
This article appears in Guide to the Holidays 2013.