Paletas de Donají

Name: Paletas de Donají
Yield: makes 8 to 10
Ingredients: 3/4 cup water; 3/4 cup sugar; 1 1/4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (about 5 oranges); 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice; 1/3 cup mezcal; 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground chile (piquín or árbol)

December 9, 2011

Donají is a delicious traditional beverage in the state of Oaxaca, named after a Zapotec princess. The exact ingredients of this cocktail vary, but typically it contains mezcal and orange juice and is served in a glass rimmed with sal de gusano, a powdered combination of chiles, salt, and roasted gusano, a caterpillar that lives on the agave plant. It may sound strange, but it is so good. If you ever travel to Oaxaca, you must try it. Although I haven’t seen donají offered as a paleta flavor anywhere, I think it’s only a matter of time, because the combination is delicious.

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