The great thing about chingones bartenders Cesar Cerrudo and Joe Valdovinos working under Danny Godinez at Anepalco's at the ALO Hotel (recently renamed from its former incarnation as the Ayres Inn) is that they're proud of being raza. That means that in addition to Cerrudo and Valdovinos mastering all the classic cocktails, Godinez encourages them to work their mutual Latino heritage into drinks beyond spirits. That's how they've come up with No Nanches! which uses the beloved Central American fruit nance.
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You barely find nance in OC restaurants or markets, let alone transformed into a tart liqueur, as Cerrudo and Valdovinos have done here. They mix it in with Monkey Shoulder scotch and lemon, creating a sour with oomph, and throw in a nance on toothpick so you can taste it in its natural, state. And the cocktail's name? A take on the common chilango slaying ¡no manches! Which technically means “Don't stain!” but really means “No way!” Isn't being Latino grand?
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