Sangre Fría: Rhubarb Tequila Fiz Halloween Cocktail

Sangre Fría Rhubarb Tequila Fiz Halloween Cocktail uses a bespoke Rhubarb Syrup with Lemon Myrtle and Vanilla. Rhubarb is said to be the Queen of vegetables – in my imagination she is a Fairy Queen with pink-green Cold Blood/Sangre Fría, perfect for Halloween. The tart sweet Rhubarb Syrup is offset by the sweet spiciness of black Vanilla Bean Seeds that add a wonderful aromatic and spooky garnish to the top of this cocktail along with a Ribbon of twisted red and green striped Rhubarb. Lemon Myrtle adds an intense Lemon flavour and aroma that connects with and amplifies the Lime used to sour the cocktail. The simple recipe is built in the glass with Lime, Rhubarb Syrup, Tequila, topped with chilled Soda Water to add another sour refreshing note through carbonic acid and bubbliness from carbonation.

What is a Fiz?

The root recipe for a Fiz is a Whisky Fiz and appears in Jerry Thomas’ 1876 Bar-tender’s Guide and calls for a small bar glass, Gum Syrup, Lemon Juice, Whiskey, to be shaken with ice and topped with Seltzer Water (Thomas 1876: 90).

How to make a Fiz

The classic method for making a Fiz is to short shake and strain the ingredients except for the Seltzer with ice and strain into a small bar glass, and then top with chilled Seltzer Water (Thomas 1876: 90). Note that the Fiz is not served with ice and Jerry Thomas recommends it is best to ‘drink without hesitation’ in order that the drink be enjoyed while bubbly and cold, Thomas (1876: 90) elaborates on this method:

“Fill the glass half full of shaved ice, shake up well and strain into a glass. Fill up the glass with Seltzer water from a syphon and drink without hesitation.”

Jerry Thomas (1876 revision of 1862 imprint: 90). The Bar-tender’s Guide: or how to mix all kinds of plain and fancy drinks. Dick & Fitzgerald: New York.

How is the Sangre Fría Rhubarb Tequila Fiz Halloween Cocktail Different?

The Sangre Fría Rhubarb Tequila Fiz Halloween Cocktail uses Lime Juice instead of Lemon and a bespoke Rhubarb Syrup instead of Gum Syrup with a base of Tequila Blanco instead of Whiskey, Brandy, Gin or Rum. The Rhubarb Syrup is flavoured with Lemon Myrtle and black Vanilla Bean Seeds for a spicy sweet tart syrup that amplifies the sourness of Lime and brings forward the sweet spicy vanilla notes in Tequila Blanco. The cocktail is characterised by a beautiful pale pink colour which contrasts with the black Vanilla Beans and the brighter red and green stripes of the Rhubarb Ribbon garnish.

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Lime

Lime is used as a souring agent instead of Lemon in the Sangre Fría Rhubarb Tequila Fiz Halloween Cocktail – Lime imparts sweet and sour notes along with saltiness.

Rhubarb Syrup

Rhubarb is said to be the Queen of vegetables and is associated with Queen Victoria with a particular variety of rhubarb Victoria Rhubarb named after the Queen on her accension to the throne by Nurseryman Joseph Myatt in 1837 – see Rhubarb Victoria in Rhubarborium (Christian Sauvé 2024). Rhubarb in my imagination is a Fairy Queen with Cold Blood/Sangre Fría and the Rhubarb Syrup with amazing deep ruby colour and black Vanilla Beans is very spooky – perfect for making a Halloween Cocktail.

Rhubarb Syrup is made from scratch using a process of cold maceration in a sealed preserving jar with spices, Vanilla and Lemon Myrtle. This method is based on the Soda Fountain Syrups of Emil Hiss (1897) in his The Standard Manual of Soda and Other Beverages and for more on this process see my posts on Pineapple Pistachio Cream Lactart Soda and Passionfruit and Chocolate Cream Lactart Sodas, also see my post on Strawberry Tequila Collins where I made a Strawberry Syrup using the same method.

Lemon Myrtle has more Lemon flavour molecules than a Lemon and adds this intense Lemon note to amplify the sourness of Lime already present. Vanilla adds sweetness and spice and the Seeds add an aromatic garnish that is also spooky – being black in colour – combining Vanilla Bean Seeds with carbonated Soda Water means that the intense Vanilla, Lemon and tart sweet fruity Rhubarb aroma is brought directly to the nose of the drinker as they take their first sip of the drink. The spooky Seeds speak to the Halloween vibe and link in the idea that the drink may be bewitching fairy food belonging to Queen Rhubarb of the cold blood.

Tequila Blanco

I have adjusted the ratio in this cocktail to use less spirit than the root recipe – bringing this down from 2 oz to 1 ½ oz. Which I now realise is exactly the formula for Charlie Conolly’s (1939: 150) Tequila Cocktail, or Margarita, in his The World Famous Cotton Club but lengthened with Soda Water. Coincidentally, as I am writing this I have come across Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s recipe for a Formosa Fizz Cocktail that he bases on another classic cocktail the Clover Club also lengthened with Soda Water and I feel the method of taking a classic cocktail and lengthening with Soda Water resonates in both recipes. Sweet Vanilla notes in the Tequila are brought to the front of this cocktail thanks to the Vanilla, the tart rhubarb which is also bitter adds complex notes that underscore the complexity of the spirit, while Lemon Myrtle amplifies the Lime and tart Rhubarb for a refreshing sour Fiz.

Soda Water

I used chilled carbonated Soda Water from a Soda Syphon for this cocktail, and the bubbles are a key part of the recipe adding refreshing bursts of carbonic acid and textural element to this refreshing bubbly Fiz cocktail. Because this is a Fiz cocktail that is not served with ice it is important to make sure that the Soda Water is well chilled as there is no ice for further cooling – in addition the more chilled the Soda Water the more bubbles there are.

Styling & Photography: Build in the Glass, Highball Glass, Vanilla Bean Seeds & Rhubarb Ribbon

I style the Sangre Fría Rhubarb Tequila Fiz Halloween Cocktail in a Highball Glass and build the cocktail in the glass allowing the bubbles in the carbonated Soda Water to mix the drink – this is a variation on the classic method of short shaking and straining and then topping with Soda Water but it allows the observer to see the colours of the ingredients – moving from green Lime Juice to red-pink jewel like Rhubarb Syrup studded with black Vanilla Bean Seeds, to clear Tequila and Soda Water – mixing into a pretty light pink hued drink. The garnish of Vanilla Bean Seeds gestures to the spooky Fairy Queen Rhubarb with her Cold Blood and the possibility that drinking this potion may trap us in a Fairy realm for good with the Cold Blooded Queen.

Tip – How to make a Rhubarb Ribbon Cocktail Garnish: The Rhubarb Ribbon is easy to make simply use a vegetable peeler to peel off part of the Rhubarb stem and then submerge in water wrapped around a chopstick to create the curl and soften the stem.

I have photographed the Sangre Fría Rhubarb Tequila Fiz Halloween Cocktail on a pink hand painted background to bring out the pink tones in the drink and garnish and contrast with the black Vanilla Bean Seeds. Rhubarb Queen of Vegetables a Fairy Queen with magic ruby pink, black Vanilla Bean studded Cold Blood or Sangre Fría – Happy Halloween!