Susie Oszustowicz
Audio By Carbonatix
Before we get all fa-la-la this-and-that, let’s get a little spicy to celebrate this absolutely beautiful start to December we’re having here in North Texas.
And how do we like to enjoy nice weather? With a spicy cocktail, obvi.
Yes, jalapeño is great and all, but who wants to deal with those seeds and the uncertainty of just how hot this batch is? That’s why we’re excited to have found Ghost Tequila – a ghost pepper-infused tequila – and a cocktail using it beautifully.
Trick Pony, the hyper-thematic cocktail bar in the Harlowe MXM complex in Deep Ellum, enjoys its themed menus that change two or three times a year. Currently they have a Quentin Tarantino theme, our favorite director who makes those so-weird-it’s-awesome movies.
Each cocktail represents one of his works in name and ingredients. The one that has caught our eye is the nod to the vampire-stripper movie, From Dusk till Dawn. This cocktail by the same name has finally sated our yen for that spicy cocktail.
The slight botanical hints from the dry vermouth really shines through the spices – both heat from the ghost pepper tequila and the baking from the cinnamon. And, as citrus usually does, the grapefruit adds just the right lift and brightness to the flavor profile.
We all agreed it’s a cocktail we could drink all night, but out of fear that the bartenders would meet the same fate as the female entertainers from the cocktail’s namesake, we decided to limit ourselves to two during happy hour.
From Dusk ’til Dawn ($12): Ghost Tequila, cinnamon, dry vermouth, grapefruit
Trick Pony, 2819 Main St. (Deep Ellum). Open 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Tuesday-Friday; 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday-Sunday; closed Monday.
