Mountain Suze
The “Cola Conundrum”, a cute little puzzle where tools are discovered and the objective is to find the can of soda, is typically produced as a red vending machine with a white lettered “COLA” inscribed on it, reminiscent of a certain popular recreational beverage. You probably Can’t Beat the Real Thing, but I asked the designer to make a pair of special versions which tie into the cocktail toast for the puzzle. I’d Like to Buy the World a Cola, but at least I got one for this drink’s creator, who received the other one of the special pair. Sother Teague is a world-renown ambassador of the spirit world, and you don’t even need a séance to conjure him. You might find him behind the bar at his “Bitters Emporium” Amor y Amargo in Brooklyn, or hear him on The SpeakEasy, his excellent podcast hosted by Heritage Radio Network. He is the least pretentious “mixologist” you can find, a champion of anyone interested in making good drinks, as long as you “show the work”, and has hosted the annual “Home Bartender of the Year” awards (which I have sadly lost over and over) for many seasons.
He told me about how this week’s toast, the “Mountain Suze”, a virally popular “oddball highball” which combines the classic French bitter Suze with the neon green American soda Mountain Dew, came to exist. “It’s a definite Hi/Low concoction. Robert Simonson (spirits writer from the NYTimes) among other people was at my place for a backyard cookout and the topic of how drink names are so important to the success or failure of a cocktail. The topic turned to how some names likely preceded the actual drink, not unlike how people often say “that’d make a great band name” and in fact many bartenders keep a running list of names going long before a drink is made. We started tossing some current names out that likely fit that model, shots like Ferrari (Fernet-Campari), Maserati (mezcal-Ramazotti) etc came up and my partner Nat (also a bartender) suggested Mountain Suze. We all chuckled and moved on. I said I thought it might work, grassy bitterness from Suze with citrusy-sweet MD could be palatable. But the notion rolled around in my head for months until I finally actually made one on camera. The results were surprisingly good. Not something I’d order or put on menu anywhere but, I wouldn’t refuse one on a hot summer day.” Teague is referring to a video he made the first time he actually mixed one up, in which he now famously exclaims how delicious it was, using language as colorful as the drink. Make one for yourself this summer (this is definitely one cocktail you can make, I promise), and exclaim for yourself. Cheers!
Mountain Suze by Sother Teague
approx 2 oz Suze
approx 6 oz Mountain Dew
Add Suze to an ice filled glass. Pour Mountain Dew down a spoon and stir. No garnish needed, but have your ever noticed you can use the soda can tab to hold your straw?
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