Elena Romero puts a twist on the classics

Behind the bar at No Way Jose, Elena Romero pours a lot of shots of Patron and margaritas. Most of the time, she is very carefully listening to customers and following their lead. 

“Someone older, like a guy, may just want whiskey and water or something like that,” Romero said. “But then like, you get some girls that are here on their lunch break and they want a cute little drink to take Instagram pictures, and they want something sweet.” 

Romero said that she started working at the restaurant four years ago, though she moved behind the bar around two years ago. Over the years, Romero has gotten to know more and more people working behind the bar – her favorite part of the job. 

Now, she has a few regulars who have gotten more comfortable with her, asking her to get more creative and mix it up. When she gets a chance to experiment, she often puts her own spin on classic drinks.

“Sometimes, it stumps me,” she said. “I don’t want to give them something bad or something that they don’t like. … But I’ll try something out, and a lot of times I’ll do remixes of drinks in there that I think may taste better.” 

Recently, she said, she has been experimenting more and more with passion fruit flavor in her drinks, substituting it in here and there to see what it will taste like. When asked to share a recipe for a drink of her own, her first instinct was to reach for the passion fruit and tequila. 

No Way Jose is located at 125 MS-12 in Starkville. 

MARGARITA PASSION PUNCH

This combination of margarita and passion fruit flavor makes for an absolutely delicious afternoon drink. The fresh lime juice pops through, lightening up the drink and making it one of a kind. It is served in a glass with a salt rim and a slice of lime. 

1 oz. Casamigos reposado (Romero’s favorite tequila) 

½ oz. orange liqueur 

1 lime (and juice) 

1 oz. passion fruit syrup 

1 oz. margarita mix 

Step 1: Prepare glass with salt rim. Cut slice off of lime for garnish. Then, juice the rest of the lime into a shaker. 

Step 2: Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Fill shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Pour drink into prepared glass. 

Step 3: Add slice of lime to rim of glass. Serve and enjoy! 

STORY BY ABIGAIL ROCHESTER

PHOTO BY JC LONG