Drink In History - El Diablo

El DIABLO

The OG tiki cocktail made with tequila

By Lanee Lee

El Diablo

INGREDIENTS 1 ½ oz. reposado tequila ½ oz. crème de cassis ½ oz. lime juice 4 oz. ginger beer (to top) 1 lime wedge (for garnish)

PREPARATION

Add ingredients to a shaker filled with ice, shake, strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with lime wedge. If a Margarita and a Moscow Mule had a child, El Diablo—The Devil in Spanish—would be it. El Diablo—a refreshingly sweet and spicy highball— is made of tequila, crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur), lime, and ginger. One of the earliest tequila drinks on record, the cocktail first appeared as the “Mexican Diablo’’ in the 1946 book Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide. In his second recipe book, Trader Vic’s Pacific Island Cookbook in 1968, the recipe remains the same, but the name is what we know it as today, El Diablo.

And if it appeared in Trader Vic’s cocktail books, we can most likely assume he created the drink and served it at Victor “The Trader” Bergeron’s first bar, Hinky Dinks, opened in 1934 in Oakland, California. And then El Diablo was probably featured and popularized nationally and internationally in his dozens of tiki bars.

Always ahead of his time as one of the pioneers of Polynesian pop culture, Trader Vic made an exciting choice with El Diablo’s base spirit. He excelled at creating rum drinks. And tequila was neither the celebrity-fueled category nor a popular mainstream go-to spirit like it is today. So, it’s a real mystery why he opted for tequila. Like many cocktail origins, perhaps it was inspired by a guest’s request.

At any rate, we’re glad Trader Vic used tequila because it adds a wonderful earthy backbone to the drink.

Now, let’s investigate the other ingredients. In Trader Vic’s recipe, it calls for ginger ale. But, ginger ale back then wasn’t like our soda pop Canada Dry version. Ginger ale was probably much more potent. Opt for ginger beer or ginger syrup and a splash of soda to maintain the elegant balance of this zingy tiki drink.

Another interesting element in the drink is crème de cassis. Usually associated with a Kir Royale, crème de cassis was probably much more bitter in Vic’s day and less sweet than what we have today.

And as for the cocktail’s starring spirit, as always, quality equals a better drink. Due to its spicy counterparts, El Diablo will be best served with a tequila that can hold its own.

For your own dance with the devil, try this recipe.