The Story Behind The Single Village Fix

The Single Village Fix is like tossing a fruit basket in a bonfire. Smoky, vegetal mezcal mingles with bright, punchy pineapple gum syrup and lime juice for a refreshing cocktail with no snazzy garnishes to distract from its elegance.

Not only is this drink one of Thad Vogler’s only creations, but it’s one of few modern classics that isn’t a riff on a preexisting recipe — though it does technically qualify as a sour. The San Francisco-based bar owner and author’s affinity for agave spirits proved crucial in the drink’s invention, as the slight fruit character of certain mezcals inspired him to pair the spirit with pineapple. He opted for a pineapple gum syrup that he had developed with Jennifer Colliau to use in Pisco Punches (Colliau went on to found Small Hand Foods, which now commercially produces the syrup). Vogler debuted the cocktail in 2008 on the opening menu at Beretta, a pizzeria with a high-end cocktail program. It was an instant hit.

“Beretta and my home were and are in the Mission, the Spanish-speaking part of the city. I wanted to represent the spirit in the neighborhood,” Vogler explains in Robert Simonson’s “Modern Classic Cocktails.” “Also, I’m interested in provenance with spirits, so the single-village mezcals were some of the few spirits that are traceable that way.”

On that front, the profile of this cocktail varies heavily based on the mezcal used. The Single Village Fix can lean into more smoky, charcoal notes, vegetal flavors, fruity undertones, or even the savoriness that comes with pechuga mezcals. While fresh lime juice gives the drink a touch of acidity, gum arabic gives the pineapple syrup its richness and viscosity, which, in tandem with the other ingredients, coats the palate and lingers long on the finish.