Where halloween tends to celebrate horror: ghosts and ghouls and all things spooky, Día de los Muertos is decidedly different in tone, seen as a way to pay homage to lost loved ones. Usually taking place over the first two days of November, but sometimes running for as long as a week depending on where you are, the festival is characterised by an explosion of colour; distinctive makeup, vibrant costumes, singing and dancing and a general celebration of life, even after it’s gone.
There are many theories on where Día de los Muertos originated. Some believe it to be a continuation of European traditions like All Souls’ Day, while others are certain it stems from Aztec traditions of several thousand years ago when the dead weren’t mourned, but rather still seen as members of the community. However it started, it has solidified itself as a key and significant part of Mexican culture in the present day, and a prime export from the country, with celebrations being recreated around the world.
It’s one worth celebrating too – raising a toast to loved ones who are no longer with us. And what better way to do so than by honouring the Mexican tradition through food and drink? Santiago Lastra, head chef and co-owner of KOL restaurant, and Matthias Ingelmann, head bartender at KOL and KOL Mezcaleria, have come up with some incredible cocktail and snack pairings (also known as antojitos, roughly translated as 'little cravings', these dishes are also on the menu at KOL Mezcaleria) that highlight the complexity of mezcal, and the power of Mexican cuisine.
The pairings
1. Pistachio guacamole x Fig Leaf & Pine French 75
The central thread to Santiago Lastra’s culinary intentions at KOL is to interpret traditional Mexican dishes through a British ingredient-focused lens. This means reimagining many classic recipes, including guacamole. How do you make the infamous dip without avocado? With some serious culinary innovation and a fair amount of pistachio, that’s how – at least according to Lastra. On this pairing, Ingelmann says: “The guacamole is very fresh with the pine oil on top. We use a similar pine oil for the cocktail as well. It’s very easy to drink and is well balanced between richness and freshness which goes well with the guacamole. This will be one of the first snacks you eat, so it’s good to kick things off with an aperitif-style cocktail.”
2. Langoustine ceviche with rhubarb aguachile x La Cigala
Continuing with the British ingredients theme, Langoustine sits front and centre in this ceviche. It makes sense, the crustacean being the jewel in the British seafood crown, and a wonderful alternative to over-fished, often problematically-obtained prawns. “This is a very bright and fruity dish,” says Ingelmann. “The La Cigala has a nice acidity from the hibiscus and verjus, while rhubarb and The Glenmorangie add some fruitiness. The mezcal, meanwhile, adds some minerality and body. The light acidity of the cocktail really compliments the flavours of the dish.”
3. Truffle quesadilla x Sorrel & Hop Sour
Partnering with a farm in Canterbury, KOL have managed to produce their own British-made Oaxacan-style cheese to ensure they don’t lose the specific tang that makes quesadillas so wonderful. It’s a specific flavour profile to pair with, and Ingelmann says this drink helps balance sour with sour. “This dish is a lot about the crispy, gooey texture of the quesadilla,” he says. “The cocktail has a soft, velvety feel with a sour flavour profile. The quesadilla, with the truffle and matcha salsa, is quite rich and nutty, so the cocktail cuts through with some acidity and adds a bright herbaceousness, with the sorrel notes. It really helps balance the dish.”
The recipes
Pistachio guacamole
Rebecca Dickson
Serves 4
Preparation time 45 minutes
Cooking time 45 minutes
Ingredients
For the cucumber water
2 cucumbers
For the scotch bonnet sauce
100g scotch bonnet
35ml lime juice
25ml water
5g Maldon salt
For the pistachio mole
240g peeled pistachios
240g cucumber water
30ml kombucha
10g scotch bonnet sauce
50g finely chopped onion
50g finely chopped cucumber
20g chervil stems finely chopped
For the totopos
1 pack corn tortillas (10 units)
2 litres vegetable oil (for frying)
Maldon salt
Method
For cucumber water
Peel and blend the cucumbers until smooth.
Pass through some muslin cloth and a fine mesh sieve and refrigerate.
For the scotch bonnet sauce
Char the scotch bonnets in a pan with no stem.
Blend all the ingredients until smooth.
Refrigerate.
For the pistachio cream
Toast half of the pistachio for 3 minutes at 180C.
Blend all to a powder.
Then add the cucumber water and blend.
Remove from the blender and stir through any neutral oil and a squeeze of lemon.
For the totopos
Cut the tortillas in triangles (8 pieces per tortilla).
Fry the tortillas pieces in oil at 200C until stop bubbling.
Take out and dry immediately with kitchen roll.
Reserve at room temperature in a dry environment.
To finish
Serve the pistachio guacamole and the totopos in separate bowls.
Note: you can finish the plate with edible flowers and herbs for decoration
Fig leaf and pine French 75
Eleonora Boscarelli
Makes 1
Preparation time 10
Ingredients
35 ml Sotol Ono
25 ml Parafante Fig Leaf liqueur
6 ml Spruce Tip Syrup
15 ml Verjus
25 ml Arbes aux Abailles ete Fleuri (Mead - substitute with)
40 ml Soda Water
Method
For the spruce tip syrup
Equal parts spruce tips and white caster sugar by weight.
Mix in mason jar and let sit until dissolved and strain syrup.
For the cocktail
Lowball glass or rocks glass, ice cubes or block.
Fill the glass with ice cubes. Add Ingredients and mix gently until cold.
Langoustine ceviche with rhubarb aguachile
Eleonora Boscarelli
Serves 6
Preparation time 1.5 hours
Cooking time 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the ceviche
9 Langoustine (clean and slice into 2 cm chunks)
120g sesame and almond mole
50g rhubarb aguachile
For the rhubarb aguachile
1 stick of rhubarb
1 scotch bonnet without stem
150ml water
100g caster sugar
50ml white wine vinegar
For the mole
80g sesame seeds
80g almonds whole (peeled)
120g onions
280ml seaweed water
1g chilli powder
8g garlic paste
For the seaweed water
200g dry kelp seaweed (or kombu)
5 litres water
For the garlic paste
150g garlic (whole)
Method
For the rhubarb
Gently simmer rhubarb in the solution until tender.
Let cool, peel and slice to 5cm length.
Refrigerate
For the seaweed water.
Soak the seaweed in the water for 12 hrs refrigerated.
Remove the seaweed.
For the garlic paste
Wrap the garlic in tinfoil.
Place the garlic on a tray uncovered.
Cook in the oven at 190C for 45 minutes until golden and crisp on the outside.
Should be soft to the touch.
Cut the top of the garlic off to expose the cooked cloves.
Squeeze out the garlic while warm into a bowl.
Using gloves, pass through a fine mesh sieve to remove the excess skin.
Blend until smooth.
Refrigerate.
For the mole
Cook the onion with oil until smooth but hasn’t taken on any colour.
Toast the almonds for 8 min at 180C until golden.
Toast the sesame seed for 12min at 180C.
Blend all the ingredients until smooth.
Season and refrigerate.
To finish
Place 20 g of sesame and almond mole in the bottom of a bowl in a small circle.
Place 1-2 langoustines worth of meat on top of the mole.
Top up with 7 pieces of cooked rhubarb sliced.
Finish with 10 ml of rhubarb aguachile.
La Cigala
Eleonora Boscarelli
Makes 1
Preparation time 10 minutes
Ingredients
15 ml Pensador Espadin mezcal
15 ml Glenmorangie Original
12.5 ml Rhubarb Cordial
15 ml Verjus
10 ml Hibiscus infusion
55 ml Water
Method
For the rhubarb cordial
Equal parts rhubarb and caster sugar by weight.
Split and cut rhubarb in approx 3cm big pieces and mix it with the sugar. Cover and let sit for a few days until all the sugar is soaked up by the liquid. Strain.
Per 100g of cordial, add 0.5g tartaric acid.
For the cocktail
Wine glass, no ice.
Mix ingredients but soda in a bottle or mixing glass and store in the fridge. When chilled pour into a wine glass and top with soda water.
Truffle quesadilla
Charlie McKay
Makes 10
Preparation time 1.5 hours
Cooking time 3 hours
Ingredients
For the cabbage puree
1.1kg white cabbage
40ml vegetable oil
150ml white wine
2.5 litres water
40g chipotle in adobo (can)
For the truffle butter
Ratio of 1 part truffle to 4 parts butter (i.e. 20 grams truffle to 80 grams butter)
For the filling
250g Oaxaca cheese (can also use mozzarella with added salt)
50g truffle butter
To finish
20g fresh truffle
Method
For the cabbage puree
Chop the cabbage into small pieces.
Roast the cabbage in a large pan with the oil and caramelise until golden. Stir continuously.
Add the white wine and reduce.
Add the water to cover and simmer for 3 hours.
Once cooked, blend all the ingredients until smooth.
Season with salt.
Pass a fine mesh sieve and refrigerate.
For the quesadillas
Follow instructions on store bought maize in a bowl and work with the hands until homogenic.
Reserve the mix at room temperature with a wet towel on top.
Make 25g balls of the corn masa mix, press with a tortilla press (between 2 plastic sheets or parchment paper) to create a 12cm diameter circle.
Place 20 g of Oaxaca cheese in the middle of the masa circle with 5 g of truffle butter.
Gently fold the masa to create a semicircle pressing the borders with your fingers to create a quesadilla (make sure the masa doesn’t break in the middle).
Deep fry the quesadilla in vegetable oil at 190C until it stops bubbling.
Dry the quesadillas with paper and leave to cool down at room temperature.
To finish
Serve the quesadilla in a plate and spread the cabbage pure on the top.
Finish the quesadilla with truffle slices to cover.
Sorrel & hop sour
Eleonora Boscarelli
Makes 1
Preparation time 10 minutes
Ingredients
For the cocktail
20 ml Amorea Cupreata mezcal
20 ml Volcan blanco tequila
25 ml Sorrel Cordial
5 ml Beefeater
For the sorrel cordial
100g sorrel
400g caster Sugar
400g water
20g malic Acid
Method
For the cocktail
Rocks glass, ice cubes or block of ice if you can get it.
Add all ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice. Shake well, and double strain into rocks glass over ice cubes.
