Snake Eyes
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 12.3% ABV ∙
The Snake Eyes is a shaken mezcal cocktail mixing coconut water, lime, cane syrup, and banana liqueur, served over ice in a salt-rimmed glass. Smoky and lightly sweet, the texture stays surprisingly light-bodied, with a tart edge and salty rim cutting through the finish on every sip.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Rim the glass with salt
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Mezcal 45 mlCoconut water 60 mlLime juice 10 mlCane syrup 15 mlBanana liqueur 5 ml
- Strain into the ice-filled glass
Tips
- Pre-chill the glass before rimming it — a cold, dry rim holds the salt better than a room-temperature one.
- Shake hard and fast — coconut water needs a vigorous shake to fully integrate with the mezcal rather than sitting separate.
- Strain onto fresh ice rather than the shaker ice so the drink stays cold without over-diluting.
History
The Snake Eyes was created in 2021 by Ally Marrone, head bartender, and Robby Dow, beverage director, at Grand Army Bar in Brooklyn, New York. It draws on a Caribbean tradition of mixing blended Scotch whisky with coconut water, a combination long popular as a casual highball in Trinidad and other islands. Marrone and Dow reworked that pairing into a shaken cocktail by swapping in smoky mezcal for the Scotch and adding a portion of banana liqueur for a tropical accent, with lime juice and cane syrup rounding out the balance.
FAQ
What is in a Snake Eyes cocktail?
A Snake Eyes is mezcal shaken with coconut water, fresh lime juice, cane syrup, and banana liqueur, then strained into a salt-rimmed glass over ice. The coconut water gives it an unusually light body compared to most mezcal cocktails, while the banana liqueur adds a subtle sweetness behind the smoke.
How strong is a Snake Eyes cocktail?
It comes in at about 12.3% ABV, notably light for a mezcal cocktail since the coconut water dilutes the spirit. It drinks closer to a low-ABV highball than a typical spirit-forward mezcal sour.
Why is it called Snake Eyes?
The name most likely nods to mezcal's traditional association with agave-country imagery and the gamble of rolling dice, though no single documented origin is confirmed for this specific cocktail.
