Roasted beet in a cocktail? Yes! It’s smokey, naturally sweet, and of course an absolutely stunning color. This mezcal-tequila drink is made for pairing with your favorite summer produce: starting with ricotta, roasted beet, and thyme pizza.
A quick roasted beet purée and a splash of agave shaken with smoky mezcal and sharp tequila creates a cocktail that looks and tastes like summertime in a glass. It’s packed with flavor and brings an effortless decoration to your tablescape. Yet, this drink is surprisingly easy to make and serve.
Roasted Beet Purée
The first step in whipping up a batch of beet cocktails is to prepare a roasted beet purée. It’s simply a matter of roasting fresh beets until they’re soft and slightly caramelized in the oven. Then, give them a blitz in a blender or food processor with enough water to smooth things out. You should have a chunk-free, beautifully purple purée that tastes amazing.
And don’t think that drinking it is the only use for this purple gold! Roast extra beets and make a big batch of purée to use as a pizza topping, an effortless vegetable dip, or even a vibrant sandwich spread. It stays fresh for up to a week in the fridge, so get creative!
In fact, you can build a whole menu with one big batch of roasted beets! Keep reading for my favorite recipes to pair with this cocktail.
Making the Beet Cocktail
Once your beet purée is on hand, you’re ready to start mixing up some drinks. You’ll need a cocktail shaker for this recipe, though you can make your own by inverting two large glasses into each other. Fill the shaker with ice, beet purée, a shot of tequila, a dash of mezcal, and as much agave as you like for sweetness.
Give everything a good shake and pour the beautiful purple drink into a festive glass. Top it off with a squeeze of fresh lime and a citrus wedge, and there you have it: a totally unique cocktail that’s guaranteed to impress.
Roasted Beet Cocktail
The mezcal brings a fair strength of smokiness to this bright cocktail. This paired with the earthiness of the beet and spritz of lime offers a drink that’s perfect paired with a pizza, like the Ricotta, Roasted Beet and Thyme Pizza in this series. NOTE: You’ll end up with more beet juice than required so you can utilize for additional recipes in this series.
Ingredients
- 1.5 ounces tequila
- .5 ounce mezcal
- ½ teaspoon roasted beet puree (recipe below)
- ½ teaspoon agave (or more based on preference)
- Tools: shaker, strainer
- Glass: double Old Fashioned
- Garnish: spritz of lime juice + lime wedge
Instructions
- Pour all the ingredients into a shaker with ice, shake to chill and strain into a glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a slice of lime.
Roasted Beet Puree
This beet puree is lovely to have on hand. Use it to add flavor in unexpected ways from main dishes to cocktails. If you don’t want to hassle with just one beet, roast an entire bunch and save the extras for salads or pizza toppings (and so much more).
Ingredients
- 65 grams (1 small) beet, peeled, stems removed, quartered
- 1/2 cup filtered water
Instructions
- Start by preparing roasted beets for both the pizza topping (roasted and quartered), and the puree (for spread on crust). Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rinse beet (or all if roasting whole bunch). Cut off each end. Peel and quarter.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle very lightly with sea salt.
- Place in the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes or until soft when pierced with a fork. Remove and allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Prepare the puree: take just 1 cooled, roasted beet from large batch to small blender. Add water. Puree until smooth.
- Store in a glass airtight jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.
What To Pair With Beet Cocktails
When it comes to serving these earthy beet cocktails, don’t overthink it! I like to stay within the same theme and serve even more of my favorite summer vegetables. Round out a purple-accented meal with beet pizza and Green Goddess Roasted Beet Salad. This menu has just the right amount of color and flavor variation, with the unified theme of sweet roasted beets throughout.
Here are some more colorful and seasonal recipes to complete a summer menu featuring this cocktail:
- Charred Cabbage, Grapefruit and Rose Apple Salad with Toasted Macadamia Nuts
- Summer Icebox Cake with Peach Mango Sherbert
If you’re excited for even more beet inspiration, you’ll love the final recipe in this series, coming soon! Don’t miss a bite by saying hi on Instagram and subscribing to my newsletter.
