Pisco and Ginger Beer – The El Diablo Cocktail
Brisk and refreshing, this El Diablo Cocktail with Pisco and Ginger Beer cocktail is a great mix of ingredients and sure to quench your thirst!
Another week and I’m recalling a post from the Archives this El Diablo Cocktail with Pisco and Ginger Beer is worth another mention. To be honest, as long as Spring is going to require what it does for me the next year or two I’ll probably do this a couple of times each Spring season.
This year I’m planning a deck that I’m both designing and installing with help from a neighbor as well as having all of my sod replaced. The time to get those done is limited and I’m outside working every day that I can…cocktails aren’t happening at all right now!
I do love this drink though and wanted to share it again. I recall clearly those days when the mere mention of the word tequila made me grimace. I found it to be the most unappealing liquor possible.
Harsh was the word I would have used to describe it and all these many years later I now know why. Most restaurants, unless they charge you an arm and a leg for an upgrade, serve their tequila based cocktails with something I would never buy.
Beware of Gold; those drinks are anything but! It’s the cheapest and least aged of all tequila and the bite it provides is not something I enjoy. I like something aged and smoother like a reposado…and then I discovered Pisco Portón!
Distilled in the heart of the Andes Mountains, Pisco is the National drink of Peru and Chile. It comes from Muscat grapes grown only in South America and is typically single distilled with a very short fermentation period.
When mixed Pisco creates a whole new category of cocktails, more flavorful than vodka and more subtle than tequila.
While the most well known cocktail using Pisco is the Pisco Sour made from Pisco, sugar, lemon, and egg white. I need to publish this one next because it’s good too; in the meantime my thanks to Liquor.com for their photo…looks good doesn’t it?
I wanted to try it in a cocktail that called for tequila and see if I could discern a distinct difference. Enter the El Diablo with Pisco and Ginger Beer. This is a potent potion, calling for 3 oz of blanco tequila to be mixed with equal parts Creme de Cassis and lime juice that is then topped off with Bundaberg Ginger Beer.
That seemed like a LOT of tequila so Pisco seemed the perfect substitute to lighten that up just a bit for me.
Now about that Ginger Beer. OK, I’m going to admit that for the longest time I thought it a beer…why wouldn’t I right? So it was enlightening a few years back to discover when I made my first Moscow Mule that I was wrong.
Don’t tell my children; I’ll never live it down. Ginger Beer is like Ginger Ale on steroids. It should have a decidedly ginger taste to it; this one does it so well and it’s my absolute favorite.
Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, most well known for their premium brewed Ginger Beer, carefully craft-brew their range of beverages for up to seven days in the town of Bundaberg, Australia using real ingredients brewed to traditional family recipes.
Bundaberg has been brewing its world-renowned beverages for three generations, perfecting its craftsman brewing process, while always trying to source its ingredients locally, including growing their own ginger.
Try it and you’ll see why I love it so much; it adds a great zing to any cocktail. I’ve always used my local Cost Plus/World Market Store to locate Bundaberg but use this handy product locator to see where to find it in your neighborhood…it’s all over the WORLD!!
Most recipes call for a lime wedge for garnish but I saw this one in Bon Appetit magazine and figure if Andrew Knowlton can use thyme, so can I! It helps I have a little indoor garden of herbs keeping me sane until the weather warms here enough to start some outdoor planting!
It was heady stuff but this cocktail was delicious too. I haven’t had a cocktail in a bit; because of the yard work and a daily ibuprofen regimen I’ve been avoiding mixing the two.
Seems the pain from gardening a bit too much has worked itself out, I no longer need ibuprofen to survive, and this was a lovely cocktail to embrace the return to normal. Next week? Come on over; I plan to have a party!!
PIN ‘Pisco & Ginger Beer Cocktail’
The El Diablo Cocktail with Pisco and Ginger Beer
Ingredients
- 3 oz Pisco or blanco tequila
- 1 ½ oz Creme de Cassis
- 1 ½ oz lime juice
- Ginger Beer chilled
- Thyme sprig or Lime Wedge
Instructions
- Mix the Pisco, Creme de Cassis and lime juice in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake to chill. Put ice in a tall glass, pour in the mixture from the shaker, top with Ginger Beer and stir.
- Garnish with the thyme sprig.
Love pisco! Brown brandy should be kept for winter, but pisco is the ultimate summer liquor. And kudos for the thyme addition.
Isn’t it? It’s fairly new to me but I just love it!
Glad to see this one return! I’ve been thinking about featuring it myself. 🙂 I actually like blanco tequila, and am OK with the rough versions — particularly in a Margarita. But the more I play with reposado, the more I think you’re on the right course. 🙂 Anyway, this is a fun variation of El Diablo, and I do have some Pisco on hand. And tequila. 🙂
I’ve had a pisco sour and it was never my favorite but this one with the thyme sounds really special.
This is such a creative use for Pisco, I love the idea! Lovely photo too, I always think that glass is gorgeous – glad to hear that you are feeling better Barb!
Are you trying to give me a heart attack or something by commenting? No? Whew! OK, seriously, thanks for the kind comment and I love that glass too!
Oh wow what a great cocktail, this looks delicious! 🙂
Thank you; I had never heard of it before and now I love it. Potent little bugger though; better love the tequila or pisco that’s put into it! 🙂
Nice!
This looks like the perfect summer cocktail! So cold, refreshing and colorful. Love that sprig of thyme for garnish!
Thanks Georgia; just wish I could share with EVERYONE! I hear limes are getting pricey so I guess we have to get more creative huh? Thanks for stopping by!
How much ginger beer do you use?
I don’t specify in the recipe because it can vary a little bit depending upon your glass. If you’re using a tall glass like a Tom Collins and fill it with ice and the other ingredients, I’m guessing it amounts to about 2 to 3 oz of ginger beer.
This drink must be going around! While in Phoenix, both of my kids mentioned that they had just made this and it is really good. Alex was shocked and thought it quite weird that his twin sister who lives 2500 miles from him, would make the same exact drink! Well, at least they have something in common! Love this rendition, Barb and hope you can finally gulp!
Amazing; I had never heard of it. But then it was in Bon Appetit; they do have a few readers. I sipped a bit never fear. Let’s get together soon.
I love me some Pisco! But tequila sounds awesome in this drink. Love the thyme garnish. And with limes as pricey as they currently are, garnish alternatives are much needed!
This is a new drink for me. I’d love to try one. Would you believe that I bought some herbs yesterday and planned to share a little indoor garden with you? I was hoping to brighten your spirits but I see you already have one growing as shown in your lovely photo. Will have to come up with a Plan B! Just know I am thinking of you and wishing you back to good health! Hope to see you soon.
You are too sweet; but glad something other than thinking of Abbie made me tear up! I had that set of three pots for years and never used it for anything but keeping ‘stuff’ in the pots; this is a much nicer solution. I am reminded of how quickly clay dries out here though; it needs a doggone drip system! We have to get together soon; it’s been far too long! XOXO
I love how a little piece of fresh herb makes anything looks so pretty. It also gives the bonus fresh smell. It looks great 🙂