The Arriba (The Above) This Cocktail Is Far Above The Rest

Infusing Yerba Mate into gin will take your cocktail game high above.

A while back I infused some black tea with some vodka for this great cocktail called Taking tea with Mr. Tumnus. I’ve wanted to try and infuse Gin in the same way. Infusing Gin or Vodka for craft cocktails has become a very hot thing to do in bars across the world. I’ve had several of those cocktails that have been amazing experiences. Fun places like Pouring Ribbons in NYC and this fantastic bar and restaurant that is sadly gone in Loveland Colorado called Generations have influenced me to experiment with my own craft cocktails.

Trying out infusing Yerba Mate in a cocktail was an obvious choice for me to play with. I’ve done a post here on Yerba Mate if you are interested in some of the history and how it is part of many of my mornings. The result is The Arriba. This refreshingly uplifting cocktail is really tasty and easy to drink.

To make an Arriba I used my favorite Gin by Spring44, which worked great as a base for the infusion. The juniper and spices in this gin really brings out the flavor of Yerba Mate. To mix up an Arriba, the grassiness of Mate and the tartness of lemon blends well with the herbiness of the green chartreuse and the hint of agave to balance it all out. My first attempt I had added twice the green chartreuse, and it tasted good, but I felt it overpowered the Yerba Mate in the gin.  By cutting back on the green chartreuse, this made one delicious and balanced cocktail. It’s light and refreshing with just a hint of an earthy undertone. I can see sipping on many of these babies in the future!

To make The Arriba, you need to find some Yerba Mate. Yerba Mate isn’t hard to find at many local coffee/tea houses or easily on Amazon. You can buy just a small bag to experiment with. Yerba Mate does have some caffeine in it, so it definitely gives this cocktail some lift above the rest.

Print

The Arriba (the above)

Prep Time

5 mins

 

A Yerba Mate infused Gin cocktail, using green chartreuse lemon and some agave syrup for just the hint of sweetness.

Course: cocktails

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cocktail, gin, green chartreuse, Yerba Mate

Servings: 1 cocktail

Ingredients

To infuse Gin

• 1 cup of Gin
• 2 tablespoons Yerba Mate

For The Arriba cocktail

• 3 ½ oz mate infused gin
• ¼ oz green chartreuse
• ½ oz fresh lemon juice
• ¼ oz agave syrup
• lemon peel for garnish

Instructions

To infuse the gin with Yerba Mate Pour the 1 cup of gin into a small container and stir in the 2 tablespoons of Mate.

1. Let sit covered for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Double strain the infused gin through a fine mesh strainer and some cheesecloth or even a paper towel. You will end up with about 7 oz mate infused gin which is enough for 2 Arriba cocktails.

To make The Arriba

1. Place a coup glass in the freezer or fill it with ice to chill it down.
2. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
3. To the shaker add 3 ½ oz of the mate infused gin, ¼ oz green chartreuse, ½ oz lemon juice, and the ¼ oz agave syrup.
4. Close the lid and shake for 30 seconds or until the shaker is very frosty.
5. Remove the ice from the coupe glass if using and pour in the shaken cocktail.
6. Garnish with the lemon peel.