La Vida Del Diablo

1.5 oz Mezcal
  .5 oz Creme de Cassis
   3 oz Ginger Beer
  .5 oz Lime Juice

   2 dash Angostura Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a chilled collins glass filled with ice.  Stir well

Going through Food and Wine Cocktails 2012 I saw this recipe for a twist on an El Diablo, and realized I never made the original drink.  Taking this as a sign I decided to try both the classic El Diablo and the twist on the El Diablo at the same time and compare.

El Diablo

1.5 oz Tequila
  .5 oz Creme de Cassis
   3 oz Ginger Beer

  .5 oz Lime Juice

Lime wheel garnish.

The composition of the two recipes were pretty similar.  The biggest difference was the use of mezcal instead of tequila.

  

El Diablo is on the left and the La Vida Del Diablo on the right. 

El Diablo:

The classic starts off with tequila and citrus on the nose.  The taste is ginger and lime tartness with some tequila.  At the end the flavor gives way to lush berry notes from the creme de cassis

La Vida Del Diablo:
The La Vida starts with tar and smoke on the nose.  The taste starts with a slight lime taste followed by a oppressive punch of mescal that almost convers the berries in smoke.  Ginger is light throughout.

Comparison:
With the mezcal change the two versions end up being quite different and I'd have them in different situations.  The classic El Diablo is very light, reminiscent of a flavored margarita and refreshing.  It reminds me of something that could be used with food as a pallet cleanser.  The mezcal version feels heavy and aggressive and leaves you with smoke on the tongue for minutes afterwards.  It is more of a nighttime sipper compared to the El Diablo's daytime fair.  Both are good though.

Mail Order Bride

1 oz Vodka
1 oz Creme de Cassis
3 oz Baltic Porter (Smuttynose)
3 dash Orange Bitters (combo fee brothers orange and urban moonshine citrus)

Shake with ice and garnish with an orange peel.

In an attempt to try some different style drinks I tried the mail order bride from beermixology.com.  It ended up being a cool drink.  I find it funny that it combines one of my least favorite ingredients (vodka) with one I understand the least (creme de cassis), but it worked out for the best.

Since this is my first drink off of this site I'm going to reserve my verdict on the quality of the recipes for a bit, but my initial impression is pretty good.  Of course I don't really understand how they expect me to shake a carbonated beer and not make a mess due to built up pressure.  Maybe they were working with a lower carbonated porter.

This drink greeted me with the smell of roasted black chocolate malt and hints of citrus.  Tasting the drink I noticed funky purple fruit, orange pith and white cane sugar notes.  The vodka and the beer's carbonation hit the back of my throat during the swallow and I was left with lingering macerated fruit and a limey tartness.  All in all it is a cool drink and makes me want to try out a few more beer cocktails.