Name: Sotol & Sage
Ingredients: 1 oz Lime Juice; 1/2 oz Agave Nectar; 2 oz Silver (Unaged) Sotol (Hacienda de Chihuahua); 2-4 oz Soda Water; 5-10 leaves Fresh Sage

The Mojito Series Part 2: Sotol & Sage

I know mint has a reputation for taking over a garden; but in our case, the mint isn’t winning the war: It’s the sage. We don’t just have a sage plant… We have a sage bush. So when we were thinking about our next drink variation on the mojito for our series, the bush looked pretty appealing.

Once sage was selected for our herb, the next step was easy. I definitely wanted to swap out the rum for another clear spirit. I was thinking about tequila until I remembered our bottle of sotol— another Mexican spirit. Perfect!

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Mojito with sage and lime wedges and lemons

Photo by Sam Hojati via www.Unsplash.com

Sotol shares quite a bit of the flavor profile of silver tequila but brings an even more earthy note. Paired with the sage, I knew it’d be perfect for the job.

If you’re not familiar with sotol, make sure to read the article in the link above to learn all about this “desert spoon plant.” A lot of people think sotol is an agave-based spirit like tequila or mezcal (made from agave heart), but it actually comes from the sotol plant, not the agave plant– kind of like a cousin to agave– although it shares a similar production process.

EARTHY, VEGETAL, AND SAVORY FLAVOR PROFILE

I subbed in agave nectar for the simple syrup in the classic cocktail.This variation on the mojito is still a tad sweet – and feel free to adjust to taste, of course. But its dominant flavor is an almost savory, herbal quality that highlights the sage beautifully.

If you’re fighting a losing battle with a sage bush in your backyard, definitely consider this cocktail. If you don’t have sotol on hand or can’t easily grab a bottle of it, a silver tequila would work very nicely as well. Either way, this just may be your new favorite cocktail.