Kay:
Tequila is a great spirit. It mixes well and certain types are great for sipping and shots. For these drinks I used a Blanco, the most affordable of tequilas and great for mixing. If you want to taste or sip, you may want to choose a Reposado (aged 2 to 12 months) or Anejo (aged a minimum of 3 years), but that is whole post in itself.
Margaritas are probably the number one cocktail made with tequila. Everyone loves a margarita, frozen or on the rocks, with salt or without salt. My margarita recipe is basic and classic. I know Lynda has her own recipe ( I’ve had hers) and I assure you both are awesome. Mine is on the rocks and I beg you please, please use fresh squeezed line juice. You won’t regret it!
I also went classic and tried a Poloma. This tequila cocktail dates back to the 1950s.It is not known for sure when
they began mixing cocktails like the Poloma in Mexico, but they started importing Squirt in the 1950s. Squirt, a grapefruit based soft drink, has been around as long as I can remember. The fruity flavor and carbonation make it a perfect mixer. Tequila, Squirt and lime juice, makes for a cool and refreshing cocktail for a hot summer day. If you are a fan of grapefruit and tequila be sure to try the Paloma.
For my third tequila cocktail indulgence, I mixed up a Tequila Lemonade. Well it was really hot here, so why not. This one is my take on hard lemonade. I can’t say it enough, always use fresh squeezed juice. A friend once said that he loved the taste of the bottled stuff, but it always gave him a headache. I promise, no preservatives here, so no headache. My Mom and her friends were probably the first to come up with hard lemonade. I remember in the 1970s they were mixing up a batch of pink lemonade (the frozen stuff) and spiking it with gin. A simple thing, but it was refreshing in the summer (at least that ‘s what they said, I was too young to partake back then). Look at the hard lemonade market today. Darn it Mom, we could have cornered the market and made a fortune! Fresh squeezed lemon juice, water, simple syrup or agave syrup and tequila. How can you go wrong? Give them all a try.
Throw in some easy snacks and you have a great Tequila weekend.
Keeping it simple, I made some Crostinis (recipe below), paired with fresh avocado slices and two smoked cheeses. Crunchy and salty snacks work really well with these tequila cocktails.
My snack board includes, crostinis, smoked Swiss and cheddar cheese and some fresh slices of avocado with salt and pepper.
One tequila…
Two tequila…
Three tequila….
Well you know!!!!
Margarita
2 oz tequila (Blanco)
0.75 oz Cointreau
2 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
0.25 oz to 0.50 oz simple syrup
Garnish: 1 lime wedge
Glasses to use: Coupe or “Beer Mug” Chilled
Chill glass at least one hour. Run edge of Coupe or Mug with a lime wedge and roll in salt.
In a cocktail shaker add tequila, cointreau, lime juice and simple syrup. Add ice and shake. Serve straight up in a Coupe or over ice in the beer mug (pictured).
Paloma
2 oz Squirt
2 oz tequila (Blanco)
0.5 oz lime juice
Garnish: Lime wedge or grapefruit wedge
Glass to use: Highball or Tumbler (Chilled throughly).
Rub the rim with lime wedge, salt the rim.
Build the drink in the chilled glass of choice. Add Squirt, tequila and lime juice. Stir and garnish with lime or grapefruit wedge.
Tequila Lemonade
Makes two servings.
4 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 oz simple syrup (to taste, depending on how sweet you like it)
8 oz water
4 oz tequila (Blanco)
Lemon slices
Using a quart container, add fresh squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, water and tequila. Stir. Add lemon slices. Pour over ice in chilled tumbler and add a lemon slice.
Crostinis
Preheat oven 400 degrees
1 baguette (slice in 1/4 inch slices on a diagonal).
1/4 cup butter (melted)
1/4 cup olive oil
Sea salt
Slice baguette in 1/4 in slices. Spread out on a baking sheet. Melt butter, add olive oil. Brush each slice on both sides with butter mixture. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake, flipping over once half way through for even browning.
Lynda:
Kay was a busy girl this week—love those Crostinis but I warn you, they are addictive.
I was pretty busy with things other than my favorite Spirited Texas things but I have some simple offerings. First of all, I love to 
make Bloody Marias aka Bloody Marys made with tequila instead of vodka. I’m sharing my homemade Bloody Maria mix that gives a nod to Sangrita. Sangrita is a traditional Mexican accompaniment for tequila. Recipes vary, but I like a tomato based sangrita with citrus juices so that’s what I use in my Bloody Maria mix.
Enjoy!
Bloody Maria Mix
1 can (46 oz.) tomato juice
2 Tablespoons Worcestshire Sauce
2-3 teaspoons horseradish
2 tsp. Tabasco
2 tsp. Habanaro Salsa ( Don Lupe is the brand I used)
1-2 small oranges – juiced
2 limes – juiced
Garlic Powder
Black Pepper
Celery Salt
Last 3 ingredients to taste. Also, adjust the hot sauces to how much fire you like in your Bloody Maria.
Rub a slice of lime around a pint glass, then dip in your favorite salt or seasoned salt. Add 2 oz. tequila, ice and fill with the Bloody Maria mix. I like to garnish with two Texas size olives and a celery stick.
Thought I’d also share a sweet, frozen Mango Margarita. We get lots of mangoes in South Texas in the summertime so it’s a good time to mix up one of these.
Mango Margarita
Makes 1 drink
1/2 cup peeled sliced mango
2 oz. tequila
1/2 oz. triple sec
1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
Agave syrup to taste
Put ingredients into a blender with about a cup of ice. Blend until slushy. Pour into margarita glasses.
Side Bar
A good friend (thank you, Richard) who grew up in Mexico City gave me this tequila tip. “I don’t like the expensive stuff”, he said. “It doesn’t taste like real tequila to me. Just make sure you get one that says ‘100 % de Agave’ on the bottle.” That’s not to say that there isn’t an occasion to buy some of that fancy tequila but for making margaritas and other tequila mixed drinks there’s no need to spend the extra money. I’ve been using Agavales Blanco for my tequila mixes.
