Conquistador
Dry shake ∙ 5 min ∙ 15.5% ABV ∙
The Conquistador is a shaken sour splitting its base between Caribbean aged rum and tequila blanco, rounded with citrus, agave, and egg white. Silky and citrus-bright, the funky rum backbone plays off tequila's vegetal snap while a whisper of egg white smooths the tart lemon-lime finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Caribbean aged rum 30 mlTequila blanco 30 mlLemon juice 15 mlLime juice 15 mlSugar syrup 15 mlAgave syrup 10 mlOrange bitters 2 dashesEgg white 15 ml
- Strain back into the shaker
- Dry shake (without ice)
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
Tips
- Shake the rum, tequila, both citrus juices, both syrups, bitters and egg white with ice first, then strain the liquid back into the empty shaker.
- Dry shake that chilled mix hard for 12-15 seconds without ice; this second, ice-free pass is what builds the lasting foam cap.
- Fine-strain twice (Hawthorne plus a tea strainer) into the chilled coupe to remove any ice shards and give the egg-white foam a smooth, streak-free finish.
- Balance the two syrups separately rather than combining them beforehand, since the sugar syrup and agave syrup contribute different sweetness levels that offset the dual citrus.
History
The Conquistador was created around 2008 by bartender Sam Ross at Milk & Honey in New York City. It was first published in print in 2011, in Jim Meehan's The PDT Cocktail Book. Ross has said he named the drink for the way it tames or beats back the ferocity of tequila, like a conqueror subduing its opponent.
