Ricardo Chirino captured the essence of Oak Restaurant & Bar in a single cocktail. “I wanted to have a signature drink that represents the restaurant,” says Chirino.

Oak Margarita
Makes 1 cocktail

Tabasco salt
Lime wedge
½ oz ancho chili liqueur
1 oz mezcal
½ oz fresh lime juice
3 ½ oz fresh mango juice
Cooked maraschino cherries
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1. Coat the bottom of a saucer or shallow bowl with Tabasco salt.

2. Wet the rim of a highball glass or a rock glass with a lime wedge.

3. Hold the wet-rimmed glass at a 45-degree angle to the Tabasco salt. Dab the rim into the salt while slowly turning the glass.

4. Combine ancho chili liqueur, mezcal, fresh lime juice, and fresh mango juice in a cocktail shaker.

5. Add ice and shake the cocktail.

6. Strain the cocktail into the Tabasco salt-rimmed glass with fresh ice.

7. Garnish with the original lime wedge and three cooked maraschino cherries on a skewer.

 Tabasco Salt

“It’s like being kicked twice,” Chirino says when he talks about Tabasco salt mixing seamlessly with ancho chili liqueur and sweet fruit juice in a cocktail. The unique Tabasco salt rim is an element of the Oak Margarita that keeps you on your toes—while also wanting to come back for more.

Instructions

1. Combine 250g of salt and 100g of Tabasco Sauce in a blender. Pulse the blender for a few seconds or until Tabasco and salt are fully combined.

2. Shake the Tabasco salt out into your preserving container of choice. Serve on the rim of a cocktail glass.

Maraschino Cherry Reduction

The Oak Margarita is served with maraschino cherries— but not in the way you may expect maraschino cherries to show up in a cocktail. The Oak switches out plump, sweet cherries for cooked, subdued cherries as a garnish.

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, bring one jar of maraschino cherries to boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer until the cherry liquid is thick (consistency of syrup).

2. Cool and serve as a cocktail garnish.