Valentine’s Day, the most romantic day of the year, calls for something special at Bar Brasserie OCCO. Let us present you, ”Pencas de Amor” – made with a very special ingredient: love.
It all starts with a romantic tradition in Mexico, explains our Head Bartender, Maarten van Vliet. Back in the day, the workers in the agave fields would carve the names of their lovers into the leaves (pencas) of the agave, hoping for luck in love. The leaves would later be used to make tequila and mezcal. ‘So actually, every bottle of mezcal and tequila is full of love!’.
The tradition got world-famous by Vicente Fernández in the 70’s when La Ley del Monte became a hit, in which he sang about this unique custom.
‘For our special Valentine’s Day cocktail, I simply had to do something with this romantic story, and this is how ‘Pencas de Amor’ or ‘Leaves of Love’ Spanish was born! First of all, we use a very fine Anejo Mezcal, which has been aged in oak barrels for over a year. We then compliment the mezcal with cinnamon liqueur, Grand Marnier and Fentimans Rose.’ To make it even more unique, Maarten adds a little edible copper, for a special shimmering effect.
His last tip: order two, so you can share the romance…
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