The McQueen Recipe

By
The Serious Eats Team
The Serious Eats Team
At Serious Eats, we’re a team of self-proclaimed food nerds who are ever-curious about the “why” behind cooking. The staff has worked in restaurants, test kitchens, bakeries, and other notable publications, bringing extensive culinary and editorial expertise to the table.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated August 30, 2018
20111117-MQofS-McQueen.jpg
Alice Gao

McCarthy affectionately refers to this one as the "Smoky Smoky," although by my count, you could tack on a few more iterations—smoky smoky smoky?

Scotch and Fidencio mezcal blend with dark agave and orange and chocolate bitters, with a spritz of hyper-smoky Ardbeg 10-year, plus a mighty twist of flamed grapefruit. "I wanted take these two amazing terroir-driven spirits and make them work together. Not just, like, kill you." The powerful aroma of burnt grapefruit oils hit you on the nose, but the cocktail is smooth and plenty drinkable, various smoky elements blending rather than overwhelming.

Note: Dark agave syrup is dark agave cut with equal parts hot water, making it easier to work with and mix. For orange bitters, McCarthy uses a combination of Regan's orange bitters #6 ("for depth and body") and West Indian Orange Bitters ("fresh, blossom-y").

More cocktails from Mary Queen of Scots »

Recipe Details

The McQueen Recipe

Active 5 mins
Total 5 mins
Serves 1 serving

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce Fidencio Mezcal

  • 1 ounce Glenrothes Select Scotch

  • 1/2 ounce dark agave syrup (see note)

  • 1 dash orange bitters (see note)

  • 1 dash Mexican chocolate bitters

  • Ardbeg 10yr, to mist

  • Grapefruit twist

Directions

  1. Stir mezcal, Scotch, dark agave, and bitters in a mixing glass with ice. Let sit for a minute or so to let ice start to melt. Mist coupe glass with Ardbeg 10yr. (If you don't have an atomizer, pour a small amount in bottom of coupe glass and swirl vigorously until it lines the glass and liquid flies out.) Strain cocktail into misted coupe. Squeeze grapefruit twist and briefly flame.

Special equipment

coupe, atomizer

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
187Calories
0gFat
12gCarbs
0gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories187
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 1mg0%
Total Carbohydrate 12g4%
Dietary Fiber 0g1%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 5mg26%
Calcium 3mg0%
Iron 0mg0%
Potassium 6mg0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

More Serious Eats Recipes