Southside Sips: Blu Smoke

Back in 1968, President Lyndon Johnson declared the seven days following September 15 National Hispanic Heritage Week, a day meaningful to the Latin-American community as it signifies the independence of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, as well as Mexico (September 16) and Chile (September 18). Twenty years later, President Ronald Regan would expand that tribute to a full month.

Nearly a quarter of the population on the East End can claim Latino heritage — a fact that gave birth to community-building organizations like Organización Latino Americana (OLA), whose mission is to advocate for Latino residents of East Hampton, Southampton, Shelter Island, Riverhead and Southold in a multitude of ways, like legislation, healthcare, education and the celebration and promotion of Latino arts and culture (like with OLA’s annual Latin Film Festival, which wrapped up yesterday).

As we’re right in the middle of this month-long celebration (and getting closer to the next national election), it seems as good a time as any to break out the good mezcal and raise a glass to continuation of the great noble experiment and the constant stirring and adding of ingredients to the great American melting pot. In this particular melange of liquids, we’re talking the great spirit of Mexico, mezcal (you can find our fave Madre at Park Place Wines & Liquor as well as Water Mill Wines & Spirits) and the vodka-Cognac based liqueur, Hpnotiq (Domaine Franey has got the Hpnotiq — the blue part of Blu Smoke — in stock right now).

We’re better together than we are apart. Believe it. Salud!