Joe Tequila

Juice of 1 lime

4-5 pureed or muddled blackberries

1 oz agave nectar

2.5 oz tequila

ice

I now use a different recipes to make margaritas.  

2 oz tequila

1 oz lime juice

1 oz orange liqueur

1 oz Agave nectar

When I want really unique tequila, I try an infusion!  That is, I add something to the tequila to give it a new flavor.  I've used pineapple, strawberries, kiwi fruit, but my favorite is a chili infused tequila. 

Take a washed pepper like a Thai pepper, cayenne, or jalapeno, cut it down the middle without making two separate pieces, remove the seeds, place it in an airtight jar or in a bottle of tequila.  A Thai pepper sitting in am airtight jar for 36 hours make my El Charro Blanco much spicier than I anticipated. 

When infusing fruit such as pineapple or mango, infuse your tequila for at least 5 days. 

I've been thinking about making a ginger lime margarita since I bought a few limes last night.  I get home this afternoon and discover I have no fresh ginger, only pickled.  Fortunately, I bought a few blood oranges so I decided to improvise.

Juice of two fresh squeezed limes

Three count of Sauza Hornitos

Juice of one fresh squeezed blood orange

About a finger of agave nectar

I add all ingredients to a Magic Bullet  tumbler and filled below the rim with ice.  After attaching the blade base, I set it atop the Magic Bullet and twisted to begin blending.  I let it run until the ice stopped rattling around the cup.  I wanted mine a little thicker so I drank some of what I had and added more ice.  I blended again until the ice crushed to what one expects in a frozen margarita. 

I bought a pound of palm sugar sectioned into little 1oz pieces as a sugar alternative...to use in alcoholic drinks!  Use the same basic margarita formula:

3 parts tequila

2 parts line juice

1 part sweetener

In this recipe, the sweetener is 1 pieces of palm sugar each about the size of a fun-size snicker.  Place it in a small container with a small amount of water, just enough to cover the bottom.  You do not need to cover the palm sugar piece with water.  Place it in a microwave oven at high power for about 30 seconds until the sugar and water make a syrup. 

Mix the sugar, lime juice, and tequila together, add ice and serve.  Salt the rim if you want, add more ice and put in a blender if you want a frozen margarita. 

Add another shot of palm syrup if you want a sweeter drink.  Palm syrup taste different than other sweeteners.  I thought it tasted a bit like pineapple.

I absolutely fell in love with the spicy margarita at the Ocean One Bar and Grill in Las Vegas.  I've made one using Thai chili infused tequila (three chilis, washed, sliced, and set in a jar of tequila for 48 hours) which tasted great. 

I couldn't find Thai chilis at my nearest supermarket so I opted for Habanero chilis.  I washed, sliced, removed the seeds from 2 habaneros  and set in a covered shaker half filled with tequila for 24 hours.  This infused tequila was noticeably spicier than the one made with Thai chilis. 

I tried to think of a way to cut back the spice, then I saw my last small can of pineapple juice. 

2 parts lime juice

2 parts habanero infused tequila

1 part pineapple juice

1 part agave nectar

Ice

Mix in a glass, shaker, pitcher, whatever it takes.  Add pinepple juice or agave nectar if your drink is still too spicy.  If it isn't spicy enough, add more tequila or salt the rim with a mix of ground cayenne pepper and salt (or cayenne pepper and sugar). 

I've heard about them, I've seen them, I finally tried one.  I'm talking about a watermelon margarita.  You will find tons of recipes out there.  I decided to wing it with the following ingredients:

Juice of 2 limes

a piece of watermelon about 4 inches long, 2 inches wide, and about an inch thick. 

agave nectar (i count)

tequila (3 count)

ice

Add all ingredients in a blender that can chop ice.  Blend until you don't hear ice chopping anymore.  Pour and drink. 

Here is the recipe for this evening's margaritas. 

1 Liter simple syrup

2 liters fresh lime juice

3 liters 100% agave blanco tequila

Upon the recommendation of the store clerk, I picked up a bottle of El Padrino Blanco for about $20.  I heard so much about it, but never bought a bottle since my favorite store always run out.  My initial impression?  I detected almost no aroma.  The first taste provided an almost overwhelming pepper taste.   

I bought a $60ish bottle of Del Maguey Mezcal for a party and I am not sure if I like it.  Mild, smoky nose with soft smoky palate and a long smoky finish.  Did I mention it is smoky? 

I live in an area where you can't buy liquor after 9pm or on Sunday.  Knowing this, I still neglected to buy a bottle of mixer tequila.  Sure I have my premium sipping tequilas, but I wanted something to mix with my cans of guava nectar. 

Thankfully, I still have a bottle of Cruzan rum.  Sub tequila with rum for many tequila mixers for a slightly sweeter drink. 

I started with 1 part lime juice, 1 part guava nectar, 2 parts rum, ice, and powdered sugar to taste.  Easy to drink...quite sweet. 

Next, no lime juice, 3 parts guava nectar, 1 part rum.  Not as sweet, but still overpowered the flavor of rum (if there is any flavor to Cruzan). 

Thus far, I have focused my efforts toward mixing tequila with lime juice and sugar.  Not that there is anything wrong with lime juice and sugar, but I will explore the possibilities of mixing tequila with other ingredients. 

Oro Viejo Plata won Tequila.net best of the 2011 Best of the Highlands Blanco Tequila.  For that reason and the $20 price tag, I took 750ml home for a taste test.  I expected more. 

Strong, overwhelming flavor from the beginning followed by a somewhat sweet middle and finish.  I could not detect the agave flavor inherent in most Highlands blancos. 

I wondered if something could have obscured my palate.  I decided to try again on another occasion.  The aroma seemed less abrasive on my second attempt, but it tasted similar to my first experience.  At $20 a bottle, it works well enough for margaritas even though the agave flavor never really cuts through the lime.  

As I walk through the tequila section of almost any liquor store, I always notice the bottle shaped like the state of Texas and wonder, "How does it taste?"   I've been fooled by unique bottles before so I tend to shy away from any perceived 'gimmicky' tequila. 

While at dinner this evening, I noticed a bottle shaped like the state of Texas and thought, "Why not?"  Worst case scenario, it tastes like crap, I waste $7-10, and I move on.  

Somehow, requesting a shot of Republic Tequila Reposado with no salt and lime caught the attention of the restaurant.  It seems other people also wondered, is it good or is it just a gimmick?  My girlfriend first noticed the bright agave aroma.  I anticipated what it might taste like.  Republic Tequila Reposado caught me by surprise.  Soft and light at first with bold oak flavor in the middle, followed by a medium agave palate.  I fully expected the oak bite at the finish.  This does not mean it tasted harsh or overpowering.  Republic Tequila Reposado provides a nice variation on the classic reposado. 

Strolling through the Tequila section of the liquor store, I vacillated between a bottle of tried and true El Jimador and untested El Charro.  Charged with picking the tequila for party ritas, I went with the less expensive option.  At worst, I would add more sugar to kill any nastiness I might encounter.

I'm happy to say, I encountered nothing but a smooth and tasty blanco.  Bright citrus nose and palate with a mild finish.  It mixed well with each combination of lime juice/sugar and lime juice/sugar/guava nectar.  It also serves as a good, low-priced introduction to sipping tequila.  At $16 per 750ml, this usurps El Jimador as my econo rita tequila.   

If you need a quick buzz, but don't like straight shots...he' go...

Juice of 1 lime

2 shots of tequila (or so)

1 shot of Grand Marnier (or Gran Galan, Cointreau, Triple Sec)

Ice

Mix it...drink it as fast as you can.