Cooper Brothers make nice, in a glass

Tad Carducci did a guest turn behind the stick at Cure in New Orleans last night in advance of his presentation at the Museum of the American Cocktail this evening. Carducci is the guy behind Apo in Philadelphia, and through his Tippling Brothers bar consultancy (with Paul Tanguay) is making his mark among drinkers in Chicago and New York.

Among the many excellent drinks he mixed up last night was what might be the ultimate bar insider cocktail, which he called the Tres Coops. It’s a frothy mezcal-based cocktail, with lots of layers and a handful of little secret doors that open as you sip, each ushering in a little surprise. Carducci created it for the Chicago branch of Mercadito, the hip, upscale Mexican-fare chain based in New York, and which is now expanding to Miami. (It’s pioneered what one writer has called “sex-mex” cuisine, which sounds pretty cool but, seriously, what the hell does that mean?)

What makes Tres Coops so insiderish? Because it’s made with all three products from the famously fractious Cooper brothers: Rob (who’s behind St. Germain), John (Domaine de Canton), and Ron (Del Maguey mezcals). Eric Felten suggested a Cooper Brothers cocktail about a year ago with St. Germain and Canton, but Tres Coops ups the ante, adding one of Ron Cooper’s superb mezcals to the mix. At long last, we learn the answer to the question, can’t we all just get along?

Why, yes, we can. 

Here’s the recipe from the Del Maguey website:

Tres Coops
1 oz. Chichicapa mezcal
.5 oz. Averna Amaro
.5 oz. St. Germain
.5 oz. Domaine de Canton
.75 oz. fresh lime
.25 oz. fresh egg white
Pinch of freshly ground chile powder. (Guajillo recommended.)

Shake all ingredients very vigorously. Strain into chilled "coupe", of course. Twist a fat swath of grapefruit peel over the top.