The Tahona Society Cocktail Competition recently completed its sixth annual installment in Guadalajara, Mexico, with challengers tasked with crafting a unique libation using Olmeca Altos Tequila.

We got a peek at the winning cocktail, Never Die, crafted by Kelsey Ramage of London’s Dandelyan. (Fortunately Olmeca Altos whipped up some mole orgeat for us in advance, but full instructions on the creation of the drink follow.) Warning: It’s extremely spicy!

Never Die
50 ml Altos Plata
15 ml pink pine nut/mole orgeat
1 dash Angostura Bitters
4 dashes piquin chili tincture

For mole orgeat:
100g pink pine nuts
6 allspice berries
2g cinnamon
6g cacao nibs

Stir all ingredients until chilled. Rim coupette with “soil” made from toasted leftover pine nuts, mulato chili and salt.

Mole orgeat method: Toast all ingredients in a pan until the pine nuts are toasted lightly. Add 500ml of water and flash blend. Transfer mixture back into a pan and keep over low heat until flavours in cinnamon and cacao come through. Strain through cheesecloth. Add sugar at 1:1 ratio. Retain spent nut/spice mixture for rim.

Rim method: Dry out nut/spice mixture left over from mole orgeat by toasting in a pan over low heat with some mulato chili. Once dry add salt to taste and blend into a finer texture.

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