Tag Archives: tequila

Happy Negroni week!

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Did you know that this week is Negroni week? If you didn’t, you know now (and it’s the last day)! I hope you’ve had one, if not because they are awesome….at least because it’s for a good cause. I had a couple at The Revelry the other day, as you can see from my Instagram post. (I’d love to have you follow along!) And also from Shannon’s post!

I wanted to share a variation on the classic Negroni that I make on occasion. It’s fun to swap out different ingredients to see what you can come up with. In this case, tequila for gin, and Ancho Reyes for vermouth. Cheers….enjoy!

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Ancho Tequila Negroni
– 2 ounce reposado tequila
– 1 ounce Ancho Reyes Ancho Chile Liqueur
– 1 ounce Campari
– 2 dashes Fee Brothers Grapefruit Bitters
– wedge of ruby red grapefruit for garnish
– chili powder and sugar for rim
Rub the rim of your glass against a cut grapefruit and dip in a mixture of chili powder and sugar to coat rim. Add ingredients over ice and stir well. Garnish with wedge of grapefruit.

 

A book-inspired cocktail

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My lovely bride has published another book with her brother, the third installment in the José Picada series entitled Act of Abduction. During my private reading (yes, I am privileged), I learned that this book has a pivotal scene featuring the José Picada Margarita. Heather asked if I could come up with a recipe that would be appropriate for Chef Al. I did my best. I hope you enjoy the José Picada Margarita as much as I know you’ll enjoy the book. Salud!

JosePicadaMargarita

The José Picada Margarita

  • 2 oz. Casamigos reposado tequila
  • 1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1/2 oz. Ancho Reyes liqueur
  • 1/2 oz. Grand Marnier
  • 1/2 oz. agave nectar

Shake and pour over crushed ice. Garnish with jalapeño and lime.

You can find the José Picada, P.I. series on MuseItUp Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.

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!

Happy Halloween! Beware the Clemenstein!

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What could be better for Halloween than a blend of clementines and Frankenstein? Introducing…the Clemenstein! At least Frankenstein is blended into the name…..not into the drink <insert evil laugh>. The reference seemed appropriate as it’s a little bit margarita, a little bit tequila sunrise, a little bit clementine, (and a little bit mad scientist).

The drink consists of a blend of 2 ounces of reposado tequila (I used my trusty bottle of 1800), 1 1/2 ounces fresh squeezed clementine juice, 1 ounce of triple sec, and a 1/2 ounce grenadine. Oh….and I can’t forget…a chunk of dry ice to create the jaw dropping, eerie smoke effect! The dry ice prevents you from having to stir, as the violent bubbling reaction will mix up your drink for you….turning it almost blood red  <insert evil laugh>. Garnish with a twist of clementine….skin  <insert evil laugh>, serve and have a safe and happy Halloween!

**Be careful not to touch (or consume!) the dry ice…it will burn you. Use a straw to help prevent accidentally swallowing some. More info here.

The clemenstein!

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.