El Gallito (Pineapple-Chipotle Pitcher Cocktail) Recipe

By
Maggie Hoffman
Maggie Hoffman is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Maggie Hoffman
Maggie Hoffman is a longtime food and drink expert whose recipes and cocktail-making tips can be found on her newsletters What to Drink and The Dinner Plan. She is the author of  The One-Bottle Cocktail and Batch Cocktails, both published by Ten Speed Press.
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Updated April 29, 2019
OneBottleCocktail_El-Gallito-edit
Photograph: © Kelly Puleio 2018, resized for publication

Why It Works

  • The base spirit is flexible: Vodka lets the drink’s vivid flavors shine, but the mix is also good with reposado tequila.
  • The solids that you strain off the blended mixture become a fresh, spicy salsa that’s excellent with chips.

This rare treasure, an umami-rich sweet/salty/smoky chipotle number from Matthew McKinley Campbell of Comal in Berkeley, California, and A Mano in San Francisco, balances juicy pineapple with grassy, green cilantro. It straddles the line between sweet and savory: A handful of cherry tomatoes tamps down the fruity flavor without pushing the drink into full-on Bloody Mary territory.

Reprinted with permission from The One-Bottle Cocktail: More Than 80 Recipes With Fresh Ingredients and a Single Spirit by Maggie Hoffman, copyright © 2018. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Recipe Details

El Gallito (Pineapple-Chipotle Pitcher Cocktail) Recipe

Prep 15 mins
Active 15 mins
Chill Time 3 hrs
Total 3 hrs 15 mins
Serves 12 servings
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Ingredients

  • 25 fresh cilantro stems, with leaves

  • 2 medium scallions, top third of greens removed

  • 8 cherry tomatoes

  • 1 cup diced fresh pineapple

  • 8 ounces (240 ml) fresh lime juice

  • 5 ounces (150 ml) water

  • 4 ounces (120 ml) undiluted agave nectar

  • 1 ounce (30 ml) adobo sauce from canned chipotles

  • 1 pinch kosher salt

  • About 24 ounces (720 ml) vodka (see note)

  • 12 cocktail picks, each with 1 cherry tomato half, for garnish

Directions

  1. Slice cilantro and scallions into 3-inch segments, then add to a blender along with tomatoes, pineapple, lime juice, water, agave nectar, adobo sauce, and salt. Process until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a large measuring cup. (You can reserve the solids to make into a salsa, if desired.)

  2. Measure the liquid mix (it should yield about 24 ounces) and pour into a 2-quart pitcher or resealable container along with an equal volume of vodka. If not serving right away, refrigerate for up to 3 hours.

  3. When ready to serve, stir mixture well, then add 1 1/2 cups ice to pitcher and give it another gentle stir. Pour into ice-filled rocks glasses and garnish each one with a speared cherry tomato half.

Notes

Try reposado tequila instead of vodka for a slightly richer, more herbal beverage.

Special Equipment

Blender, fine-mesh strainer or chinois

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
191 Calories
0g Fat
15g Carbs
1g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 191
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 25mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 15g 5%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 19mg 93%
Calcium 15mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 129mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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