The El Diablo is a tequila based cocktail that is a little sweet and a little tart with flavors of spicy ginger, lime and blackberry. It is translated as “The Devil” and is a great tequila cocktail to enjoy any time of the year. It is refreshing enough for Spring and Summer, but spicy enough for Fall and Winter.
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Translation
What does El Diablo mean? It is a Spanish word that translated directly means The Devil.
It is pronounced “el-dee-ahb-low”
Where Did El Diablo Come From
This cocktail was originally published in the 1940’s in the Trader Vic’s Book of Food and Drink and was published as a tequila cocktail with Crème de Cassis drizzled over top to sink through the cocktial. Over time it has evolved to a shaken cocktail that has a beautiful pinkish/red hue.
The original Trader Vic’s cookbook is now about $200 a copy!! So if you have one or find one in your Grandparents house, treasure it!
Ingredients
To make the El Diablo you need to stock your bar with a few ingredients:
Reposado Tequila – this tequila is a mix of aged tequila and silver tequila. It has a nice mild flavor and light golden color. You can also make a Blackberry Smash with Reposado Tequila
Crème de Cassis – this is a very sweet liqueur made of black currants. It tastes like grape juice!
Ginger Beer – not all ginger beers are created equal! Some are SO overly sweet! I recommend the Q Mixer or Fever Tree brands. Ginger beer is also excellent for Mexican Mules!
Finally you just need some fresh limes!
Tequila
Since this is a mixed drink a mid range tequila will work just fine! No need to spend a ton of money like when you drink Tequila on the Rocks. Here are some brands we like:
- Esplon
- Cazadores
- Jose Cuervo
Halloween Cocktail
El Diablo, being “The Devil”, is a great cocktail to serve on Halloween, just like this Devil’s Margarita or Halloween Margarita. Pour it in a spooky glass, or garnish it with a gummy eyeball.
Just like these Bloody Shirley Temples you could serve the Crème de Cassis in a spooky syringe in the glass!
More Tequila Drinks
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El Diablo Cocktail
Equipment
Instructions
- Fill a glass with ice, about an 8-10 oz glass. Set aside.
- Put a few cubes of ice in a cocktail shaker (in a pinch use a mason jar carefully!!). Pour in the Tequila, Lime Juice and Crème de Cassis. Give it a vigorous shake for 20 seconds.
- Strain into the prepared glass. Top with 2-3 oz ginger beer.
- Garnish with a lime wedge.
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Maxwell Pennock
I brought the real Creme de Cassis de Dijon in my luggage. I added the lime, Silver Cuervo Especial with Gosling’s ginger beer. Simply delicious. The fruity, berry after taste trails nicely. Great recipe
Susanna
Delicious! But mine is a light rose pink, not red like the photo — I only had white tequila, but the cassis is watered down by the other ingredients.