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Page 107 –  Chapter Sweet Indulgence

Recipe: (glass: tall or highball, garnish raspberry and lime strips)

• 6 raspberries
• 1/2 oz agave syrup (or simple sugar syrup)
• 1 1/4 oz reposado tequila
• 1/2 oz Chambord
• 1 3/4 oz red cranberry juice
• 3/4 oz fresh lime juice

Directions: Place the raspberries and agave syrup in the base of a tall or highball glass and crush with the flat end of a bar spoon.  Add crushed ice almost to the rim, then add the remaing ingredients in the order listed above.  Stir well.  Top up with more crushed ice if necessary.  Using a sharp knife or lemon zester, pare some short, thin strips of lime zest.  Float tem on top of the drink, add a fresh raspberry, and serve.

A few adjustments to this recipe were made without any disappointment.  Since it is still a bit nippy outside I decided not to use crushed ice thinking it would be more of a slushy than a cocktail.  Using a shaker I mixed the ingredients with ice cubes, which were strained out as the drink was poured.  I made do with the ingredients I had on hand.   The raspberries were left out.  I imagine that they will be a nice seasonal touch when the temp breaks 70.  I also substituted blanco tequila for reposado, and cran-apple for cranberry juice.  To fill two glasses I quadrupled the measurements.  No wonder we were so happy with this tasty margarita!

Still a novice at the low end of the learning curve mistakes are bound to happen.  A tragic shaker mishap occurred on my first attempt at the quad that totally wasted the creation.  Thankfully, I was standing over the sink or it would have been a real sticky mess adding insult to injury.  My shaker technique is pathetic and no where near mixology perfection.

4 Mexican Toasts:

1. Round #1 Salud (health)
2. Round #2 Dinero (money)
3. Round #3 Amor (love)
4. Round #4 Tiempo para en0jarlos (time to enjoy them)

Salud!

Rachael is just back from Phoenix with a gift for me of a cocktail recipe book titled Margaritas!.  What fun it will be drinking our way through the recipes just like the movie Julie & Julia! With 71 recipes of tequila based cocktails I’m looking forward to becoming a margarita connoisseur, and hopefully not needing to simultaneously blog on hangover home remedies.  Along the way there’s lots to learn about the types of tequila, triple sec, syrups, limes, equipment and techniques.

So far I have learned that there are three types of tequila: clear, rested, and aged.  Clear tequilas are bottled soon after distillation called blanco meaning white and plata meaning silver.  Rested tequilas are called reposado and left in oak barrels for 2 to 12 months.  Aged tequilas called anejo are aged in oak barrels for at least 12 months.  The highest quality of tequilas consist of 100% pure agave juice.  Mixtos and joven abocado or gold tequila are low quality tequilas and hangover inducing.  Reading labels and avoiding brands with plastic worms are key to better quality tequila.

I also discovered that the recipe for simple syrup is not a mind blowing formula and is very easy to make.  Just mix a 1:1 ratio of sugar to water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  When the sugar is dissolved remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.  The syrup can be saved 2 weeks in the refrigerator.  I’m looking forward to infusing syrup with flavors and raiding fields and gardens for ingredients to make uniquely flavored syrups.

Here is another treat from Phoenix used as an ingredient in some margaritas.  This is a squeeze bottle of Ohgave! Lite which is an organic premium sweetener and made of blue weber agave.  It has the consistency of honey with a caramel flavor.  Agave is a member of the lily family and is the same plant that is used to make tequila.  Here’s the link to this tasty treat http://ohgave.com/about_ohgave_nectar/what-is-ohgave-nectar/.

I’m ready for a trip to margarita-ville via our liquor cabinet!

One tequila, two tequila, three tequila floor…….George Carlin