You can guess how this one tastes before you make it. Pineapple brings the sweetness, ginger brings some heat, mezcal adds smoke, and lime keeps it from getting sticky. A tiny pinch of salt ties it together.

I like a mezcalita when it still feels like a margarita, just a little wilder around the edges. This one doesn’t bury the mezcal under juice. It’s smoky, cold and sharp, with enough ginger to make the finish interesting.

A pineapple ginger mezcalita is 1 1/2 ounces of mezcal shaken with 2 ounces of pineapple juice, 1/2 ounce of lime juice, 3/4 ounce of orange liqueur and 1/2 ounce of ginger syrup, then strained over fresh ice. Most pineapple mezcal margaritas share the same bones: mezcal, pineapple, lime and a sweetener. I wanted ginger heat instead of pepper heat, and a ratio that scales from one glass to a pitcher. The smoke and ginger also suit cool weather, so it works on a fall taco night as well as in summer.

Why This Works

Pineapple can take over a cocktail fast. It’s sweet, fragrant and a little foamy when shaken. Mezcal can take over too, especially a very smoky bottle. More ingredients won’t fix that. Enough lime and ginger will keep both in line.

Don’t skip the salt. The drink shouldn’t taste salty, but a tiny pinch makes the pineapple taste more like pineapple and the lime less harsh.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces mezcal
  • 2 ounces cold pineapple juice
  • 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
  • 3/4 ounce orange liqueur
  • 1/2 ounce ginger syrup
  • 1 tiny pinch fine sea salt or 3 drops saline solution
  • Ice
  • Chili-lime salt, optional for the rim
  • Pineapple slice, for garnish

How to Make Ginger Syrup

You can buy ginger syrup, but homemade tastes fresher and less candy-like.

Combine 1 1/2 cups water, 1 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup coarsely chopped unpeeled fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool for 15 to 30 minutes, strain through a fine-mesh sieve, and chill covered for up to 2 weeks.

The peppercorns keep it from tasting like candy, and leaving the ginger unpeeled keeps more of the heat.

How to Make a Pineapple Ginger Mezcalita

  1. If you want a rim, rub half the glass with lime and dip it lightly in chili-lime salt. A half rim beats a full one here, because you choose when you want the salt and spice.

  2. Add mezcal, pineapple juice, lime juice, orange liqueur, ginger syrup, and the tiny pinch of salt to a cocktail shaker.

  3. Fill the shaker with ice.

  4. Shake hard for 12 to 15 seconds. Pineapple juice handles a hard shake well. It chills, foams and softens around the mezcal.

Any cocktail shaker will do. If you are choosing bar tools, our bar cart essentials guide compares a shaker and jigger, with reasons to buy or skip each.

  1. Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice or crushed ice.

  2. Garnish with a lime wheel or a small pineapple wedge. Serve right away while the top is still cold and frothy.

How to Serve It with Dinner

Make this for taco night or a backyard dinner. Mix the pitcher base ahead if you need six drinks, then shake each serving or stir it over fresh crushed ice as the recipe directs. Ice left in the pitcher dilutes the pineapple and ginger before anyone gets a glass.

Use a 10 to 12 ounce rocks glass with fresh ice. If you want the chili-lime salt, rim only half the glass so each guest can choose per sip. A sturdy short tumbler works too. Leave enough room above the ice for the pineapple garnish.

The Best Mezcal to Use

Use an espadin mezcal that tastes smoky but not ashy. If the bottle smells like a campfire that sat out in the rain, it will probably flatten the pineapple.

Del Maguey Vida, Banhez, Montelobos and similar cocktail-friendly bottles all work here. If you’re new to mezcal, use 1 ounce mezcal and 1/2 ounce blanco tequila in place of the full pour. You still get the smoke, but the drink lands softer.

If the Drink Tastes Off

If it tastes too smoky, add another 1/4 ounce pineapple juice and shake again.

If it tastes too sweet, add 1/4 ounce lime juice.

If it tastes sharp but flat, add a few drops of saline or another tiny pinch of salt.

If the ginger disappears, your syrup is probably too mild. Add 1/4 ounce more ginger syrup , then balance with a small squeeze of lime.

Make It a Pitcher

For 6 drinks, combine:

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons mezcal
  • 1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
  • 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon orange liqueur
  • 6 tablespoons ginger syrup
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Stir everything together without ice and chill for at least 1 hour. When serving, shake 5 1/4 ounces of the batch with ice for each drink, or pour over crushed ice and stir hard for a faster party version.

Keep ice out of the pitcher. Pineapple drinks go dull when they sit diluted.

Zero-Proof Version

For a smoky pineapple ginger mocktail , use 2 ounces pineapple juice, 1/2 ounce lime juice, 1/2 ounce ginger syrup, 2 dashes non-alcoholic aromatic bitters, and 2 ounces cold sparkling water.

For the smoky note, add a very small splash of strong lapsang souchong tea or smoked black tea. Start with 1 teaspoon. Too much makes the drink taste like barbecue sauce.