The Tepache Cocktail at Las Palmas Takes a Week to Make, a Moment to Drink

Pineapple in a cocktail? Not really groundbreaking. So Las Palmas, Uptown’s new Tex-Mex hot spot, opted to take the fruit in another direction. Greg Huston, one of the folks running the bar at the new spot, which took over the Social House space, decided to ferment it to make a popular Mexican beverage called tepache.

The tepache serves as the base of their aptly named tepache cocktail. To make it, the team combines pineapples, rind and all, with water, brewers yeast, tamarind, piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar), cloves and cinnamon for a week, resulting in an effervescent and brightly colored fermented beverage. To round out the drink, they add more than a bit of rum and lime, cane sugar and a touch of white cocoa liqueur for richness.

This cocktail is the perfect example of how even the simplest cocktails can be great when made well. And that takes the whole pineapple.

Tepache Cocktail ($11): rum, tepache, lime, cane sugar, white cocoa liqueur

Las Palmas, 2708 Routh St. (Uptown)