Service was as friendly as it always is, the peppery pork ribs were sensational, the brisket barky, moist and just fatty enough, the sausages snappy and, well: perfection. Only the chicharroni macaroni disappointed as it usually does: inadequate, too powdery chicharron. IMHO. (Yet I continue to order it.) Included in the self-assembled to-go pack, that also contained the irresistible pickled nopales, were two tiny containers of what 2M refers to as “barbeque syrup.” The barbecue shop’s meats do not need syrup — or any other adulteration.
So, I said to myself, what to do with this irrelevant, yet still compelling, accessory? Here’s where, all modesty aside, the stroke of genius comes in: use it as a cocktail component. Bourbon, with its all-American charred wood backbone, leapt instantly to mind. Char blended with smoke — what could go wrong? Nothing, as it happens. Should you find yourself with excess barbecue syrup any time soon, here’s the recipe:
- 2 ounces bourbon (I used Bulleit)
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ ounce 2M barbeque syrup (stir before measuring)
- ¼ ounce, more or less, agave syrup
- A couple of drops of Jamaican jerk or Angostura bitters
Shake with ice, double strain into a rocks glass with ice — preferably one large cube, and garnish with a slab of lemon peel. Or, if you have thought ahead as I cleverly did, a skewered slice of 2M sausage with Oaxacan cheese and jalapeño. Brings it all together somehow — especially if consumed with a pork rib in the other hand.
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