Eclipse Cocktail

The eclipse cocktail is a drink built with Tequila, cherry liqueur, Aperol, lemon juice, and Mezcal!

Eclipse Cocktail Info

This drink is named after the color of the moon in an eclipse. It comes from The NoMad in New York City. The Eclipse is bright and fruity and a great introduction to Aperol drinks. It also shows how good Tequila and mezcal can be combined with the red Italian liqueur.

Aperol is lighter and brighter than its brother Campari. It was once a relatively unknown liqueur in the United States. However, it has exploded in popularity over the past few years thanks to the Aperol Spritz. The versatility of this liqueur means that it can be used in a variety of cocktails, not just for spritzes. It pairs well with Tequila and brings out the natural fruity flavors. Although you can substitute Campari for the Eclipse, it is not the same.

Many cherry liqueurs are available, including Luxardo maraschino, herring, etc. Some are sweeter than others, so pick what you like. The drink is balanced with Aperol, earthy Tequila, lemon juice, and a top coat of mezcal. The final product is complex and multilayered.

The Eclipse can only be built if the right ice is used. The recipe calls for larger ice cubes. These cubes are two inches by two inches in size and slow down the drink's dilution, preserving the deep flavors until the end. Regular ice cubes can be used, but larger ice is preferred. The large ice also makes the layered mezcal easy to do! Just pour on top of the ice. The mezcal float doesn't need to be perfected, unlike drinks with dark rum floats. It blends indistinctly with the drink due to its transparent color.