Mance Rayder - How to Make a Tequila & Mezcal Drink Inspired by Game of Thrones

How to make the Mance Rayder, a Game of Thrones cocktail made with Tequila, Mezcal, Sweet Vermouth, Orange Liqueur, Aromatic Bitters, Orange Bitters and a lemon peel for garnish. It was created by Erick Castro, bartender, founder of Polite Provisions and host of the podcast and the film, Bartender at Large.

The cocktail was created in 2013, shortly after Castro opened Polite Provisions in San Diego. The drink was originally conceived as a kind of Mexican Vieux Carré (   • Barrel-Aged Vieux Carré - How to Mak...  ) meets Home on the Range. In it’s original incarnation it was made with blanco tequila and an orange twist, but later down the line, Castro changed it to reposado and a lemon twist.

The lemon twist was a master stroke on his part. It really brought it all home and made the whole boozy cocktail taste a lot lighter and fruitier than it really was. This really makes it accessible to drinkers who don’t prefer Old Fashioneds and makes it a lot more seductive and charming than it would be otherwise.

Castro needed a name to fit these qualities, so his mind was immediately drawn to one of his favorite Game of Thrones characters, Mance Rayder, aka The Kind Beyond the Wall. As Castro put it, “I thought that a fitting name, since much like its namesake, it is strong and to the point, yet charming & sophisticated.”

Just as with the split base in the Oaxaca Old Fashioned (   • Oaxaca Old Fashioned - How to Make th...  ), the sweet, oaky tequila and the vegetal, smoky mezcal in a 3:1 ratio play wonderfully together. Castro designed this drink to work with a smoky mezcal, so that is the way to go in this drink. But the tequila could go either way. He tends to lean toward making it with reposado, but he admits that he’ll still occasionally makes it with a blanco. In the video, I made it with a unique tequila, Libélula, which is a blend of both blanco and reposado, but feel free to make it with your favorite tequila. Castro even insists that the drink is great with an añejo, so the choice of tequila is really up to you.

The orange liqueur is best with one that’s on the dry side and the sweet vermouth should be big, fruity and herbal. Castro usually prefers Carpano Antica. The Cocchi Torino that I used in the video works well too, but Antica is going to be your best bet.

The drink is light and citrusy, exotic and simple, bright and delicious. It works for Old Fashioned drinkers, Tiki drinkers, wine drinkers and Margarita drinkers alike. It’s strong but diplomatic and humble, much like its namesake. Enjoy!



Recipe:
1.5 oz (45 ml) Reposado Tequila
0.5 oz (15 ml) Mezcal (smoky)
0.5 oz (15 ml) Sweet Vermouth
0.5 oz (15 ml) Orange Liqueur
2 dashes Aromatic Bitters
2 dashes Orange Bitters
garnish Lemon Twist

Stir with ice. Strain over large ice in an old fashioned glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.


Music:
Death and Glory by Dream Cave
via Epidemic Sound


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Featured in this Episode:

Libélula Tequila
http://bit.ly/2Iegq6o

Mezcal Unión Uno
http://bit.ly/2PPKAx1

Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
http://bit.ly/2GdnU6c

Combier Orange Liqueur
http://bit.ly/2gHhqnp

Angostura Bitters
http://amzn.to/2jHG5G7

Scrappy’s Orange Bitters
https://amzn.to/2P6zog2



Bar Tools:

Double Old Fashioned Glass
http://amzn.to/2owVAF9

Leopold Jigger
https://amzn.to/2EOniBv

Muddler Barspoon
http://bit.ly/2UAeHiy

Hawthorne Strainer (Gunmetal Black)
https://amzn.to/2PHo89P

Mixing Glass
http://amzn.to/2lilEC5