Echo Park Trash Can #2
Mezcal, Clarified Watermelon Juice, Aperol, Chile, Lime Acid
Bartender Mike Capoferri of Thunderbolt | Los Angeles, CA
“This cocktail is a fundraising collaboration with the Echo Park Trash Club—a local volunteer organization that steps in where the city of Los Angeles currently does not, cleaning our neighborhood while treating unhoused residents with the respect they deserve. We chose a mezcal with a beautiful watermelon-rind note and leaned into one of my favorite flavor pairings—watermelon and ancho chile—to craft a super-bright, highball-style drink. We force-carbonate it to commercial soda levels of CO₂, and our custom refrigeration system lets us use clarified watermelon juice as the only dilution, delivering an intensely concentrated flavor and aroma.” — Bartender Mike Capoferri
Adapted by StarChefs | June 2025 | Photo: Jakob Layman
INGREDIENTS
Clarified Watermelon Juice:
1 liter fresh watermelon juice
3 milliliters Pectinex Ultra SP-L
6 milliliters Kieselsol
3 milliliters chitosan
Succinic Acid:
40 grams succinic acid powder
Lime Acid:
40 grams citric acid powder
20 grams malic acid crystals
To Assemble and Serve:
Yield: 1 cocktail
1½ ounces mezcal
½ ounce Aperol
0.6 ounces simple syrup
0.15 ounces Ancho Verde chile liqueur
4 drops 20% saline solution
METHOD
For the Clarified Watermelon Juice:
In a large nonreactive container, combine watermelon juice, pectinex, and 3 milliliters Kieselsol. Let sit 15 minutes at room temperature, then stir in chitosan. Let sit 15 minutes, then add the remaining kieselsol. Let sit additional 15 minutes. Transfer to a centrifuge mixer and spin on continuous. Bottle and refrigerate.
For the Succinic Acid:
In a nonreactive container, combine succinic acid powder and 460 milliliters warm water. Stir until crystals have fully dissolved. Bottle and reserve.
For the Lime Acid:
In a nonreactive container, combine all ingredients, 5 milliliters Succinic Acid, and 940 milliliters water. Stir until crystals have fully dissolved. Bottle and reserve.
To Assemble and Serve:
In a large nonreactive container, combine all ingredients, 3 ounces Clarified Watermelon Juice, ¾ ounce Lime Acid, and 1½ ounces water. Seal and freeze until mixture reaches 18°F. Using a carbonation rig, carbonate at 45PSI. Pour into a Collins glass with 1 ice spear.
