Sweet, juicy nectarines combine with smoky mezcal, basil, lime juice and simple syrup to create a cocktail that tastes like its name—Nectarine Campfire. Recipe below.
ONE OF THE PRIMAL PLEASURES OF SUMMER IS STONE FRUITS. Biting into a ripe plum and having its juice run down your chin. Slicing a fresh peach into a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Turning apricots, rosemary and sugar into an effortless, classically French dessert. Or maybe inventing a smoky, fruity summer cocktail with mezcal and nectarines.
Based on a non-scientific sampling of a half-dozen nectarines recently picked up at a supermarket, we think it’s going to be a really good year for stone fruits. Looking for more ways to consume this delicious, juicy, sweet fruit, I of course took the cocktail route.
Recipes abound for cocktails made with more ubiquitous peaches, but there are a number for nectarines as well. And practically speaking, the fruits are fairly interchangeable for cocktail purposes, I think. A little research showed that all kinds of alcohol are used in peach/nectarine drinks—gin, rum, vodka, champagne, bourbon, tequila.
But tequila’s smokier and, to us, more interesting cousin, mezcal, was largely absent. Which is both interesting and a shame. The moment I thought of making a cocktail with our summery nectarines, my first thought was mezcal. (Our current favorite is the modestly priced Sombra.) Not only would its smokiness temper the sweetness of fruit, it immediately put me in mind of sitting around a campfire, roasting the fruit on skewers, watching sparks rise up into the night sky.
Almost as quickly, I thought of adding basil. Again, for a taste of summer, but also because we’ve so often seen how bartenders use fresh herbs to add a subtle something extra. Lime juice always plays well with mezcal, especially with simple syrup taming its tartness.
All of this thinking was the theory behind this drink and how it would taste. The real thing was so much more—sublime, even if I say so myself.
Nectarine Campfire
Ingredients
- 1/4 fresh nectarine or peach, plus a slice for garnish
- 2 to 3 large basil leaves
- 2 ounces mezcal
- 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
- 3/4 ounce simple syrup (see Kitchen Notes)
Instructions
- Cut nectarine into large chunks and put into cocktail shaker. Tear basil leaves and add to shaker. Muddle vigorously—you really want to mash up the nectarine to maximize its flavor in the finished drink.
- Add mezcal, lime juice, simple syrup and ice to shaker. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds. This will further impart the fruit flavor and really chill the drink. The vigorous muddling and shaking will also likely cause tiny flecks of basil to appear in your drink. That's a good thing—go with it.
- Pour into a sizable coupe glass and add ice, or into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with nectarine slice and serve.
Haven’t bought much stone fruit thus far this year — mainly some Georgia peaches — but those were good. So let’s hope it’s a spectacular year for stone fruit! This is a fun drink — good flavors. I’ll have to make it. 🙂 Thanks!