Tepache Ahumado

Here's the thing about tepache: most people outside Mexico have never tasted this lightly fermented pineapple drink that's been around since before the Spanish showed up. It's funky, fizzy, sweet, and spiced with cinnamon. And honestly, it got me thinking about how mezcal's smoky character might play with those same flavors in cocktail form. This is very much a lab experiment. I'm layering piloncillo's molasses-like sweetness with cinnamon bark syrup, adding grapefruit for that tart fermented edge, and letting mezcal's smoke stand in for tepache's funky backbone. The Tajín rim brings heat and salt, while soda water mimics natural carbonation. On paper, it should work. The smoke and spice should wrap around the pineapple and piloncillo like a warm blanket. But I haven't served this to fifty people to confirm it's a hit. Fair warning: this is for the adventurous. If you're curious about how traditional Mexican flavors translate into something completely new, make one and let me know if the theory holds up. I'm genuinely curious what you'll think.