Recipes from Jeremiah Tower: Mezcal makes it better
Enjoying a sunset by the pool at our oceanside apartment in Puerto Vallarta, we were struck by thirst. “Let’s make Old Fashioned cocktails,” I suggested.
Then I realized we’d run out of bourbon but had mezcal on hand.
The result was a smokier, more delicious version of the classic Old Fashioned. It’s been one of our favorite cocktails ever since.
A few days later, we were dining at Joe Jack’s Fish Shack in the center of town and the bartender asked what we’d like. We ordered a mezcal Old Fashioned.
I walked him through how we had made them. His were perfect and delicious and so much so that Jack, the owner, stopped by and wanted to try one as well.
Then, for a long time after, it was on the menu: “JT’s mezcal Old Fashion.”
Mezcal Old Fashioned
- 1 teaspoon agave or simple syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 2 ounces El Cabrón mezcal
- orange twist
Put the agave or simple syrup, Angostura bitters and mezcal into a chilled “bucket” glass and stir. Fill with ice cubes. Garnish with an orange twist.
Mezcal Cucumber Shooters
These shooters were created to impress guests at the Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival, where the order of the day was something fast and simple, but with big impact. Almost all of the other restaurant and bar staff were underwhelmed when I said we were serving shooters, but soon, there was a line out the door. Serves 10
- 1 large English cucumber
- 9 ounces mezcal
- ½ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 2.5 ounce piece of fresh ginger peeled, coarsely chopped
- fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons fresh mint leaves coarsely chopped
- ½ teaspoon fresh red serrano or Fresno chile seeded, stemmed, ribs removed, minced
Peel the cucumber and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces. Cut one of the pieces in half lengthwise, seed, cut into small dice, and reserve for garnish. Transfer the remaining cucumber pieces to a blender with the mezcal and purée with lime juice, agave, ginger, and a pinch of salt. Add the mint and pulse 5 to 6 times to incorporate. Let the flavors infuse for 30 minutes. Strain the contents through a fine-mesh strainer, cover, and refrigerate until cold. Pour the mezcal mixture into chilled shot glasses, and garnish some of the reserved diced cucumber and the minced chile.
Sour (Seville) Orange-Sichuan Pepper Salt
In a moment of madness, I might flavor the rim of the Negroni glass with this salt, especially with an El Cabrón mezcal Margarita or Old Fashioned. But it is also perfect for tropical fruit, eaten Yucatecan style, or sprinkled on food just before serving. You will become addicted to flavored salts and figure out endless variations yourself. Any of the citrus family will work, although I have my doubts about grapefruit salt unless you use it on fruits, especially tropical ones or watermelon. Flavored salts will last a month in a covered jar without losing too much potency. Proportions are not written in stone, but think of two-thirds pepper and one-third citrus peel. And why not add a little bit of cumin, cardamom, or fenugreek?
- 1 large Seville orange
- ½ cup Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 cups kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 200°F. Remove the zest from the orange in strips with a vegetable peeler, being sure not to include the white pith. Lay the zest in a single layer on a plate and place it in the oven until dry, about an hour. The peel must be completely dry. Remove the plate from the oven and let the dried zest cool. Toast the peppercorns in a hot but not scorching frying pan until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Dump them out immediately onto paper towels and allow them to cool. Mix the rind, peppercorns, and salt together. Grind in a spice mill or food processor with a very sharp blade until uniformly smooth.
Yucatecan Ceviche
- 3 habanero chilis
- ¾ lb shrimp
- ½ c fresh orange juice
- 1½ lb fish fillets
- 1 c fresh lime juice
- 1 large sweet onion such as Vidalia
Cut the fish in ¼-inch slices; remove any bones. Place in a glass or glazed ceramic dish large enough to hold it in one layer. Shell and devein the shrimp, rinsing them only if necessary to rid them of grit. Slice the shrimp in half lengthwise or butterfly them. Layer the shrimp over the fish. Slice the onion in half lengthwise, then crosswise in thin slices. Layer the onion over the fish and shrimp. Stem, seed and sliver the Habaneros and scatter them over the onions. Season the dish with salt and pour on the lime and orange juices. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight or until the fish and shrimp are opaque. Serve at cool room temperature.
Stuffed Eggs
I adore stuffed eggs and have enjoyed them in many places in many different versions. In the Yucatán with grilled, peeled and sliced red and green poblano chilies and once with the Mexican black truffle – huitlacoche, or corn smut. Serves 4-6
- 16 large eggs
- 2 large fresh poblano chilies
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons Hellman’s mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- large pinch salt
- large pinch chili powder
Put the eggs in a heavy pan and cover them with cold water by one inch. Then bring to the point just before a boil, remove from the heat, cover, and let stand 10 minutes. Then run cold water over them, adding ice if you are in a hurry, until they are cool enough to peel. Roast the chilies over a fire on over a gas stove until the skin is charred all over. Put them in a plastic bag just large enough to hold them, twist the top closed, and leave the chilies for 30 minutes. Take them out, cut off the top and bottom, flatten out the chilies: on the inside scrape off the ribs and seeds and on the outside scrape off the skin. Save any juices and strain. Peel the eggs, cut in half lengthwise, and remove and mash the yolks with the sour cream, mayonnaise, cumin, and mint. Add half the salt, mix, and taste. Add more salt if desired. Stuff the whites with the yolk puree and sprinkle with chili powder or garnish with BBQ sauce.
Cornmeal Blinis with Smoked Fish
As irresistible as food can get! Serves 6
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups boiling water
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup sifted all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- ¾ cup warm clarified butter
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 cup smoked Marlin or other local fish, shredded
- Chilled El Cabrón mezcal
Mix the cornmeal and salt and stir in the boiling water. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then slowly stir in the milk. Mix in the flour and 2 tablespoons melted butter; beat until smooth. The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream; if it is too thick, thin with a little more. Brush a well-seasoned crêpe pan with clarified butter and heat. When the pan is hot, pour in about 3 tablespoons batter and tilt the pan to distribute the batter evenly. Cook until the underside is lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and cook the other side for another 1 to 2 minutes. Put each blini on a hot plate and pour 3 tablespoons of clarified butter over the blini. Put 1 tablespoon sour cream in the center of each blini, then 1 heaping tablespoon sturgeon on the cream and serve immediately, with shots of “frozen” mezcal. Have a drink of the cold mezcal, wait a few seconds, and follow with the blini.
Chocolate Lava Cake with Mezcal Crème Anglaise
Pick your favorite Lava Cake recipe and serve it with this amazing custard. If you’re making your favorite Lava Cake recipe at home, this is what it should look like.
The crème Anglaise or custard:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 1-inch piece vanilla bean
- ¼ cup El Cabrón mezcal
- Ice, to make an ice bath to make an ice bath
Mix the sugar, yolks, and salt in a large, heat-safe bowl and whisk until pale yellow (about 5 minutes). Heat the milk and vanilla bean until almost boiling and pour slowly into the yolk mixture while whisking. Cook over simmering water in a double boiler, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and coats the spoon. Add the mezcal and mix well. Remove from heat and place over an ice bath to cool, stirring constantly with a spoon—this prevents the custard from overcooking (curdling) and forming a skin when it cools. Strain and serve. If it is not ready to serve right away, refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to a week.
El Cabrón mezcal was released in limited quantities in 2024. It will again be available in early Spring 2025, in four varieties. This content was written in partnership with El Cabrón.

Jeremiah Tower is a pioneering American chef now living in Mérida, Yucatán. He is widely recognized as one of the founding figures of modern American cuisine. Tower gained fame in the 1970s as the chef at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, where he worked alongside Alice Waters to redefine farm-to-table dining and elevate regional, seasonal ingredients. In 1984, he opened his own restaurant, Stars, in San Francisco, which became a legendary establishment and a symbol of culinary innovation and sophistication. After reshaping the restaurant industry and inspiring generations of chefs, his contributions to gastronomy were further chronicled in the 2016 documentary Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent. Tower publishes his own content weekly on Substack.