fig leaf and pear martini kol
Image: Eleonora Boscarelli

Fig leaf and pear martini cocktail recipe by Kol Mezcaleria

17 Oct 2024 | Updated on: 24 Oct 2024 | By Annie Lewis

Combining classic autumnal flavours with Mexican spirits, this fig leaf and pear martini by Kol Mezcaleria is the perfect October tipple

Mexican restaurants don’t get much better than Kol – and it’s got a Michelin star to prove it. One of the only South American eateries in the capital to be awarded such an accolade, Kol has been bringing its fiery flavours to Marylebone since 2020, and pays homage to head chef Santiago Lastra’s homeland via rich cultural tastes, aromas, and textures with meticulously sourced seasonal British produce.

While the menus are enough to entice anyone through its doors – think langoustine tacos with smoked chilli and scallop ceviche with horseradish – go downstairs to discover the mezcaleria and cocktail bar, specialising in agave spirits and antojitos. Led by group bar manager Matthias Ingelmann, the menu champions small-scale producers and independent distillers ranging from Yucatán to Jalisco to curate one of London’s most unique collections of mezcals, tequilas and other Mexican spirits.

Much like the food, cocktails draw on two influences: traditional Mexican culture and seasonal British ingredients. Highlights from the cocktail list include Hot & Cold – a playful, unique desert-based tipple featuring Coffee Pechuga (a mezcal distilled with coffee) and an infused white chocolate foam with woodruff notes – and the Sorrel and Hop Sour, utilising native sorrel and agave sourced from Guerrero blended with tequila to create a new take on a mezcal sour. To accompany the drinks, an antojitos menu – meaning ‘little cravings’ – offers Santiago’s interpretation of Mexican street food, including octopus tostadas, Kentish Oaxacan cheese and truffle quesadillas, and wagyu short rib empanadas.

For our latest Cocktail of the Week, however, we looked to one of the newest serves on the autumn menu: the fig leaf and pear martini. Ingelmann says: “The pear adds wonderfully bright but also earthy fruit notes while the fig leaf adds those typical coconut tropical flavours to the martini.” Ready to learn how to make this at home? Step right this way…

Recipe

Fig leaf and pear martini

  • Serves 1

Ingredients

  • Boatyard vodka 10ml
  • The Lost Explorer Salmiana 35ml
  • Parafante fig leaf liqueur 10ml
  • Aker Dry Vermouth 10ml
  • Capreolus pear eau de vie 5ml
  • Water 25ml

Method

  1. Shake all the ingredients together and store it in the freezer.
  2. Serve in a coupe glass when it reaches freezer temperature.
  3. Garnish with an olive.

Aker English Dry Aperitif

£35.25
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The Lost Explorer Salmiana

£136
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Visit kolrestaurant.com

Read more: Mirasol Margarita cocktail recipe by Bébé Bob