LeNell It All - The Mordida

by LeNell Smothers, Posted Jul 21st 2009 @ 3:00PM

Mordida cocktail. Photo: LeNell Smothers.

Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.

I'm not above a little hell-raising, but I swear I was not doing anything illegal a few weeks ago in Mexico when my sweetheart Demian and I got pulled over by the police on the way to the beach.

Demian was accused of drinking and driving. We were eating homemade pesto while driving, but last I checked that wasn't illegal anywhere in the world. We did have an unopened bottle of Champagne iced in a cooler. Demian showed the officer the pesto and the bottle of bubbly. In the end, the cops accused Demian of speeding. His excuse?

He was too busy looking at my legs instead of the street signs. We got away with only a 270 peso mordida (bribe) -- about 20 bucks -- a little payoff to get the cops to just let us go.

Since both of us are bartenders, we couldn't resist creating a cocktail in honor of this nerve-wracking experience.

Key limes are common in Baja, but back home not always so easy to find, so I picked up some from Steve's Key Lime Pies. Keeping with the Mexican theme, we used tequila (look for 100-percent agave on the label to ensure quality) and another Baja ingredient called Damiana, an herbal liqueur made using an herb that some claim is an aphrodisiac. You can also use the delicious Agavero, a tequila-based damiana liqueur.

The Mordida
(serves 1)

1 key lime

2 leaves of basil (medium size)

1 1/2 ounce damiana liqueur

1 ounce 100-percent agave tequila blanco

splash of Champagne

Cut the key lime in half. Lightly muddle lime halves and basil in a mixing glass. Add liqueur and tequila. Fill with ice, top with a shaker and shake well. Pour mixture into a double old fashioned glass. Top with a splash of Champagne.

Filed Under: Cocktail Hour, Drink Recipes
Tags: lenell it all, lenell smothers, LenellItAll, LenellSmothers, mexico, mordida, tequila