Tag Archives: cinco de mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

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The day is winding down, but with a margarita and guacamole for motivation I had to finish this very important Cinco De Mayo post.

We just hosted a Cinco De Mayo party and tequila tasting (see picture below). At some point you can expect to see a few tequila reviews sharing our favorites. But for now…I’ll just offer up a margarita….with a variation of the recipe from the link above. This recipe is slightly stronger to highlight the tequila; Espolón reposado tequila….currently our go to, and an excellent value. In a shaker with crushed ice add 2 ounces tequila, 1 1/4 ounces triple sec, 1 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice, and 1 ounce simple syrup. Shake and strain into a rocks glass. Garnish and serve. Be careful, these will go down easily (and as smooth as he is, Ramón (the Espólon mascot rooster) may bite).

Cheers!

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Margaritas Trump Timeliness

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Happy Cinco De Mayo! Yes, this post is late, but the post title explains why. When given the choice between finishing off the margaritas with Heather or writing this post, the margaritas won out! Sorry, but I’m sure you understand!

Sunday, I cooked tequila flamed shrimp tostadas for us to celebrate. I followed the Food and Wine recipe, just without the black beans (as I forgot to purchase them) and using yellow corn chips instead of tostadas. I also added a minced jalepeno to the avocado mixture (which is basically a yummy pineapple guacamole). Using chips instead of tostadas is a great way to do an appetizer or a dinner version. The meal was amazing, and I will definitely be making them again soon.

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The recipe called for a silver tequila; Don Julio Blanco to the rescue! Of the silver tequilas I’ve had, it’s by far my favorite. Give it a try!  Since the tequila was open, I felt compelled to make margaritas (see recipe here). They were helpful to lessen the effects of  the heat from the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce. Happy cinco nueve de Mayo! Cheers!

Don Julio Blanco!
This almost seems like a crime, but it was good!
Light ’em up!
Look at that cute little flame!

I like it chunky: Guacamole!

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What would Cinco de Mayo be without guacamole?! Our marvelous friend Chef Mark (yup…he’s a chef!), prepared a Mexican feast for  some friends 5 years ago on Cinco de Mayo . It was the 3rd date for Heather and I, and guacaomle and margaritas were a wonderful part of the memorable menu. This is my derivation of the recipes for both.

Chunky guacamole. Pit and scoop out 3 ripe avocados and chop into roughly 1/2″ to 3/4″ chunks. Place in a mixing bowl and squeeze the  juice of 1 lime onto it to keep it from browning (and add some great flavor). Finely chop half of medium white onion and a large handful of fresh cilantro. Dice a small to medium tomato into 1/4-inch pieces. Mince 2 jalapeno peppers (OK..I like it HOT and chunky, but this won’t be too hot if you remove the seeds). 
Throw them all into the mixing bowl with some sea salt (to taste) and stir. This will break up most of the chunks a little, but some hardly at all. Thus…. creating your chunky guacamole.

The margarita. Ah, the margarita. It took me a while to perfect this recipe. I prefer to use a reposado tequila for the smooth smoky flavor. 1800 is a good value and generally my choice. In a shaker with crushed ice add 2 ounces tequila, 1 1/2 ounces triple sec, 1 1/4 ounces fresh squeezed lime juice and 1 1/4 ounces simple syrup. Shake and strain into a margarita glass. Garnish with a lime and orange twist to signify the blending of the 2 flavors. I prefer it up with no salt, but feel free to salt the rim and serve over ice (as I do for Heather 🙂 ).

PS. If you’re in the Rochester area, I highly suggest you take a class from Chef Mark at the Wegmans Pittsford cooking school. It’s very entertaining and informative!

(Chunky!) Guacamole, with hearty yellow corn chips.

The margarita. Up, no salt.

Guacamole ingredients.


Fruity, spicy, and dangerously smooth: Red Wine Sangria!

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Thus starts my Cinco De Mayo prep! Sangria is a Spanish and Portugese treat, not Mexican. But… I associate it with Cinco De Mayo and Mexican flavors, so I’m running with it.  It’s typically made with cheap Spanish red wine, citrus fruit, spices, a sweetener, and sometimes a sparkling beverage. I’ll give you a rough guide as to what to include, but feel free to experiment. That’s how I prepare it; some of this, a little of that, and so on.

My wine suggestion is Protocolo, a Spanish tempranillo for less than $6! Although inexpensive, Heather classifies this wine as “super yummy!” It’s such a great value, we have it often enough to call it our “house red”. Using a wine you like as the sangria base is very important.

Pour your bottle of wine into a pitcher. Add 6 or 7 cloves, a sliced orange, half a sliced lemon, half a sliced lime, a shot of brandy, a shot of vodka, a shot of creme de cacao, and about an ounce of simple syrup. If you want to go heavier on the sour fruit, add a little more simple syrup to balance it out. Stir, and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. Just before serving, add 10 ounces of sparkling beverage (I used seltzer).

Remember that this is just a guideline – use whatever fruit, spices, liquor, and sweeteners you fancy. You can’t go wrong! Let me know what you come up with, and I’ll do another sangria post in the future.

Fruity, spicy sangria goodness.

Protocolo, our house red, makes a great sangria.