This is a Frankenstein’s monster of a smashup, and it’s great. I have some tequila I don’t love (have yet to meet a cristalino I actually like) and Naked and Famous is a little too sweet/strong/syrupy for me. So:
2 parts tequila.
2 parts lime.
1 part yellow Chartreuse.
1 part mezcal (maybe a little more)
1 part Aperol
1/4 part simple syrup
Combine and shake with ice, not too much, it wants some dilution. Serve up or on one big ice cube. (Or you could shake with lots of ice and serve on crushed ice. I make the giant clear ice mostly for my husband, who is a bourbon -with-one-ice-cube guy, but I love them so use them sometimes when maybe something else would be ideal taste wise.)
It’s really, really good. First tastes sweet, then the complexity lands, so satisfying . Would be even better with good tequila. Obviously the tequila and mezcal have an affinity, I think I’d reduce the lime and omit the sugar syrup next time but that was just “one lime”, I didn’t think it would be too much with the Aperol and Chartreuse but it was. Also it’s a gorgeous ballet pink color that doesn’t come though well in the picture.
I’m curious, why the simple syrup? I thought the basic Naked and Famous didn’t include any. As I am was reading this I actually was attempting something adjacent, but spirit forward. A riff on a white negroni I like was Gin, Yellow Chartreuse, and Cocci Americano. I swapped the gin for mezcal because that’s what I had on hand, and swapped the chartreuse for Faccia Bruto Centerbe because I didn’t want to waste chartreuse on a first experiment. But like my Last Word riff with mezcal subbed in, so i gave it a try. Didn’t work out, but adding a bit of Cocci di Torino vermouth balanced it out to a more drinkable place. Cheers
Too much lime, I put all the juice of one lime and it was juicier than I anticipated. Thought about adding a liqueur but so many flavors already I was afraid another would make it muddy. Added the splash of sugar, shook again and it fixed it. Too boozy to attempt another today, it was a one and done, tomorrow can try with less lime. I like tart drinks so when I say too sour it’s probably too sour for most.
Ok tried again today. Didn’t really want to use less lime. Decided to try Ancho Reyes Verde instead of sugar, then only as I was putting away the bottles noticed I’d used the green chartreuse this time by accident. This one is better. The green Ancho Reyes plays wonderfully with the green chartreuse, it’s not muddy at all, not confused, not even overly complex somehow, it all blends, even the aperol. Very boozy, spicy, still sweet is the first thing I taste.
But now I want good tequila to try a spicy green margarita with just the green chartreuse, green Ancho, and lime.