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By Kathleen Furore
Several years ago, Chef Rosie O’Connor — former owner of the now-shuttered Provecho Grill in Menifee, California and current owner of that city’s Lady M Bistro — visited Villa del Palmar at the Islands of Loreto in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Her mission: to meet Cesar Alejandro Gomez Flores, then the resort’s master mixologist, to discuss all things culinary related to the bar, and to get his take on how being a mixologist differs from being a bartender.
“It’s almost like being a chef. You must know the flavors very well to achieve the essence you desire in mixing the cocktails,” he told her before demonstrating how to craft one of his custom creations: the Bajarita, a Margarita-style cocktail made with tequila infused with bell pepper, rosemary and jalapeño, plus one ingredient that made the cocktail unique: Damiana liqueur, a light, herbal-based liqueur made with damiana, a small shrub with smooth, pale green oval leaves and aromatic yellow flowers native to Baja California.
Although Mexican folklore holds that the first Margarita ever was made with Damiana liqueur, there aren’t many Mexican restaurants outside of Baja that stock it behind the bar — at least based on cocktail menus at myriad Mexican restaurants stateside.
Cuchara Mexican City Bistro in Houston is one restaurant that does, and even touts Damiana in the name of the cocktail: Margarita con Damiana. It is made with three simple ingredients — Patron Silver Tequila, fresh lime juice and Damiana liqueur.
“The Damiana liqueur gives the drink more flavor — it is similar to the flavor Green Chartreuse adds,” Cuchara’s manager, Danny Gonzalez, explains. “It’s an herbal flavor that makes a really good Margarita.”
Even though many customers don’t know what Damiana liqueur is, that cocktail is among the most popular Margaritas on the menu. “Customers ask us about [what Damiana is] all of the time — a lot of them have never heard of it,” Gonzalez says.
The Painted Burro Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar, with four locations in the greater Boston area, also enhances cocktails with Damiana liqueur. Its Mezcarita made with Pelotón La Muerte Mezcal, fresh lime juice and Agavero Liqueur — 100 percent blue agave blended with the Damiana flower — is one example.
“The Damiana liqueur highlights the herbal and floral notes of the tequila and mezcal. It's a nice addition to cocktails and Margaritas on our menu Kim Winters, director of operations, says.
Like Gonzalez, Winters says staff often must explain what Damiana is to curious customers.
“It’s something they aren't particularly familiar with,” Winters reports.
Luckily, the story behind Damiana is a great story to tell: The Mayan people of Central American believed the damiana herb to be an aphrodisiac that also enhances fertility.
While more than one company makes liqueurs using the plant (the process involves infusing dried Damiana leaves and stems in alcohol, then using that as the base for the liqueur), the most well-known — Guaycura Licor de Damiana — comes in a bottle that plays on that theme: it is shaped like a voluptuous Mayan goddess. That is something Flores mentioned when preparing his Bajarita for O’Connor.
“It is such a beautiful bottle. He wanted to point that out…that it is tied to fertility and is an ode to women,” she recalls.
“It’s a really cool bottle,” Gonzalez echoes. “It looks awesome behind the bar.”
SIDEBAR: Margaritas and More
There are many ways to create enticing, beyond-the-basic cocktails with Damiana liqueur. Here are a few examples:
*Passionfruit Margarita. This cocktail, featured in a Mexican Travel & Leisure story about damiana, combines Damiana liqueur with passion fruit pulp, Cointreau and añejo tequila.
*Berries and Cream. A recent holiday season drink introduced at Villas Del Mar Cabo is inspired by the traditional dessert Strawberries & Cream/Fresas con Crema. It is crafted with aged tequila, fresh elderflowers liqueur, Damiana liqueur, ripe berries, and a dash of almond milk.
*The Salty Dog. Damiana liqueur offers several suggestions for ways to use the product, including this one made by stirring or shaking the liqueur with vodka or gin plus grapefruit juice, then pouring into a rocks or highball glass.
The Bajarita
Recipe by Cesar Alejandro Gomez Flores; courtesy of Chef Rosie O’Connor
Makes 1 cocktail
1 oz. Guaycura Licor de Damiana
1½ oz. tequila infused with bell pepper, rosemary and jalapeño
1 oz. simple syrup
1 oz. lime juice
1 oz. pineapple juice
Pinch of salt
Mix the ingredients in your shaker. Top with a fresh pineapple wedge. Garnish with rimmer made with crushed, baked tortilla and ground chile pepper spice.
Watch the video here!
Passionfruit Damiana Margarita
Recipe from Mexico Travel & Leisure
Makes 1 cocktail
2 small key limes
½ orange
1 T. passionfruit pulp
1 oz. Guaycura Licor de Damiana
½ oz. Cointreau
1½ oz. añejo tequila
Squeeze the half orange and limes into a shaker, then add the rest of the ingredients, fill it with ice, and shake hard for about 10 seconds. Strain and pour into a cocktail glass with fresh ice, or a martini glass without additional ice if you prefer straight up. Depending on your taste preferences, you can always modify the ingredients. If you like it sweet, add an ounce of simple syrup.
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