Supermodel Grace Mahary's Mezcal Negroni Is Perfect For Your Next Virtual Happy Hour

TZR's Second Servings series explores the culinary creations of some of your favorite celebrities and influencers. From indulgent desserts to the perfect afternoon cocktail, these recipes aim to make your life a little more delicious. Our latest installment is with model and sommelier Grace Mahary.

While you likely know her for her illustrious modeling career, which has included walking more than 200 runways including Céline, Chanel, and Paco Rabanne, Grace Mahary's skills extend far past the cat walk. In addition to her supermodel title, the native Canadian can also add trilingual, certified sommelier, and restaurant owner to her resume. Oh, and she also knows her way around a kitchen. "I can follow a recipe," says Mahary, who is of Eritrean descent, to TZR. "Let's just say that. And I can add my own little spin to it. I love adding East African flavors or mixing other flavors from around the world to an original recipe."

Over the past year, like much of the world, the model's jet-setting lifestyle has slowed down considerably, forcing her to settle into her surroundings. "My husband and I really spent much time [...] building our household together," explains Mahary. "So nesting in the last year has been really cool." This includes bingeing shows like Euphoria and I May Destroy You, brushing up on her French ("in Canada you learn it in school) and Tigrinya (her mother's native language), and — that's right — making some magic in the kitchen. "I'm a pescatarian and I try to make like 80% of my meals vegan," explains Mahary. "So, I love doing vegan curries, like coconut milk-based ones [and adding] all kinds of yummy root vegetables in there."

She also enjoys mixing up a drink or two. Mahary explains that her habit of putting modern spins on classic recipes extends to cocktails. In fact, the model's go-to concoction of late is a mezcal negroni, a smoky upgrade to the classic apertif, which typically features gin.

"I prefer it with the mezcal because it's so smoky," says Mahary, explaining that said smokiness makes it more "forgiving" should you put too much or too little of an additional ingredient. "It kind of absorbs the excess flavors whereas gin is such a delicate spirit." The model first picked up this negroni upgrade at Chulita, the Mexican restaurant and tequila bar in Venice, California that she happens to co-own. "I love [this cocktail]. You can have it with anything — tacos or some spicy gumbo, literally anything you're having for dinner," says Mahary.

The drink is also great for those who aren't well-versed in the ways of mixology. "First of all, you stir the cocktail, so you don't have to worry about having a shaker," says the model. "It's like three or four ingredients, and the fourth ingredient is orange bitters so you literally just squeeze orange in there and [add an] orange peel. It's really simple."

Salivating yet? Take this recipe for a spin — it's happy hour somewhere, right?