Many drinkers have one liquor they just cannot stomach.  The one spirit from their past in which they “had a bad experience.”  For me, and many others, that liquor is tequila.  It was not until a trip to Boston’s Drink, one of the country’s best cocktail bars, that my attitude toward tequila was fully changed.

Misty Kalkofan, a bartender at Drink, created the Maximilan Affair, a complex, tasty little treat wrapped in a tequila package.  Made with tequila, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, Punt e Mes — a wonderfully complex sweet vermouth — and fresh lemon juice, the Maximilian Affair might just change your opinion about tequila too.

Maximilian Affair

1 ¼ ounces mescal or tequila
¾ ounce St. Germain
½ ounce Punt e Mes (or other sweet vermouth if you cannot find Punt e Mes)
¼ ounce fresh lemon juice

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.