Silver Monk (Death & Co. Recipe)

 

It's no secret that cucumber and mint makes a tequila cocktail amazing. Death & Co. has no fewer than three cucumber and tequila recipes, most having some kind of alpine spirit in the mix. Besides Strega, which I wouldn't use in this drink, I rely on Genepy as my alpine spirit stand-in for Chartreuse. It isn't as honeyed as the yellow Chartreuse or as bitter as the Green, but it has a mild flavor that pushes all the right buttons that Chartreuse does without being too recognizable in the way that Benedictine and Strega are. 

This is one of those early 2000s cocktails where the real highlight is the fresh ingredients: the juice, cucumber and mint, that makes this drink memorable.

• 2 cucumber wheels
• 8 mint leaves
• pinch of kosher salt
• 2 oz. blanco tequila (Sauza Hacienda used)
• 3/4 oz. yellow Chartreuse (Dolin Genepy used)
• 3/4 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup

Muddle mint and cucumber in a shaker before adding ice and the remaining ingredients. Shake and double strain into a chilled coupe glass. (Garnish pictured is not part of the original recipe but too tempting not to use.)