Cocktail & Other Recipes By Spirit Tequila & Mezcal Cocktails

Verbena

By
Céline Bossart
Celine Bossart
Céline Bossart
Céline Bossart is a freelance journalist and photographer based in New York, specializing in wine, spirits and travel.
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Updated 08/3/22
A soft yellow cocktail in a rocks glass garnished with a Szechuan button

Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

Las Vegas bartender Mariena Mercer Boarini has been experimenting with Szechuan buttons for years, and this cocktail she created for The Chandelier bar at The Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas features the zippy herb. It has become one of the bar’s most popular signature drinks.

The Verbena is somewhat of a flavor rollercoaster, with its namesake herb ingredient bringing a soft, lemony creaminess to the tequila-based drink’s flavor profile. And the citrus fruits yuzu and calamansi brighten the cocktail, setting the stage for the small-yet-mighty garnish to shine.

While the yellow flower bud—also referred to as the “buzz button”—might seem unassuming, the Szechuan button’s effect on drinks is quite the opposite. The bud releases a naturally occurring alkaloid that delivers an intense numbing or tingling sensation in the mouth. In response, the salivary glands temporarily go into overdrive, making your mouth water, which is quickly followed by a cooling sensation in the throat and back palate.

Needless to say, cocktails that incorporate this wonder ingredient or garnish are like a sensation roller coaster. Boarini has found that the Szechuan button works well with citrus, ginger and vegetal flavors—all of which the Verbena showcases.

Ingredients

  • 6 lemon verbena leaves

  • 1 ounce ginger syrup*

  • 1 1/2 ounces blanco tequila

  • 3 ounces yuzu-calamansi sour mix

  • Garnish: Szechuan button

Steps

  1. Add the lemon verbena leaves and ginger syrup into a cocktail shaker and gently muddle the leaves.

  2. Add the blanco tequila and yuzu-calamansi sour mix into the shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.

  3. Strain into a double rocks glass filled with fresh ice.

  4. Garnish with a Szechuan button.

*Ginger syrup: Combine 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar and 1/4 pound ginger (peeled and thinly sliced) in a saucepan. Heat slowly, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool and strain out the solids. Keep the syrup sealed in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

**Yuzu-calamansi sour mix: Combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a saucepan. Heat slowly, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool. Combine with 1 cup freshly squeezed yuzu juice and 1 cup freshly squeezed calamansi juice. Store the sour mix in a sealed container in the fridge.