The new brunch menu at Smith & Mills Rockefeller Center in New York City offers this drink, which is loosely based on the Corpse Reviver #2 — hence the name, which means “the second” in Spanish. It’s also sort of a Margarita, but with a different balance of ingredients that makes it less sweet and lets the botanicals in the vermouth and the aroma of the grapefruit stand out, according to beverage director Robert Krueger.
The drink combines ¾ ounce each of Lalo Blanco Tequila, Crème de Pamplemousse grapefruit liqueur, Dolin Blanc vermouth, and lemon juice, plus a dash of house-made hibiscus cordial that are all shaken together and strained into a glass rimmed with rosemary salt, which is made by dehydrating rosemary leaves in the microwave, pulverizing them, and mixing them with kosher salt.
So compared to the cocktail for which it’s named, tequila replaces gin, grapefruit liqueur replaces triple sec, vermouth replaces Lillet Blanc, and rosemary and hibiscus replace the absinth rinse.
"I've used hibiscus in a lot of cocktails over the years,” Krueger said. “It's got tartness and tannin, fruitiness and brilliant color. In The El Segundo, it's offset with citrusy herbaceousness of rosemary, which also provides a contrasting color. Lalo Blanco tequila is one of the new generation of additive free, non-celebrity endorsed tequilas that are gaining a lot of popularity. Dolin Blanc is supremely elegant, bittersweet, floral, and bright."
Price: $20